


Okonomi-Yaki

by TheShitCook



Series: Japan here we come! [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Childhood Trauma, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Food stand, Hinting at other pairings, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, almost too fluffy, seriously its really fluffy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-01
Updated: 2016-03-02
Packaged: 2018-03-09 23:34:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 85,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3268469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheShitCook/pseuds/TheShitCook
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The last thing Zoro is expecting in his last few years of high school is to make friends. All he wants to do is make it out with the least amount of embarrassment possible and get his ass out of the country. His plans, however, are thrown completely askew when a transfer student moves in from out of the country and opens an Okonomi-Yaki stand. It shouldn’t make any difference to him but the more he gets to know this student the more intrigued Zoro becomes, and, to confuse things even further, let’s throw some love in the picture and watch the show!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Blond

_Blood dripped from the ends of his swords where they hung at his sides. Strong hands gripped the hilts tightly. Thick, crimson liquid making them almost too slippery to hold on to. Heavy footsteps echoed through the thick fog that covered the ship, the only sound to be heard for miles upon miles of ocean, save for…_

_*clink, clink, clink*_

_His earrings chimed with every step he took. Three thin, golden bars hung from one ear and clacked against each other, a thin trail of blood snaking down each one. The air smelled stale and metallic, as well as something else, something only HE could smell._

_Victory._

_The air was thick with it, the smell invading his nostrils and wrapping around his brain like a snake coiling around a field mouse. His eyes shone with a murderous tinge, gold and red blending together to create a sickening mix. The sails of the ship lay uselessly on the deck, cut down the moment he jumped on board to lay waste to filth that now writhed at his feet. Those that weren’t already dead anyway. Somebody needed to tell the story, so some were allowed to live._

_Allowed, that’s right. He was allowing them to live so graciously. The power he held in his hands made him tremble with excitement. Power over their filthy little lives. Pirates. Every last one of them. Filthy, disgusting, thieving pirates. Reeking of cheap booze, blood, and body odor. He guessed that the last time the lot of them had a bath was when their bloodied corpses fell off the boat._

_Blood stained and matted his pants, making them heavy and uncomfortable to walk in. They were torn in several places as well, revealing small patches of tanned skin. His chest was bare, exposing the deep scar that stretched from his left shoulder all the way down to his right hip. The patch job on it had been rough, the flesh appearing gnarled in many places. Not a single drop of blood that decorated his body was his own, adding all the more to his victory. His hair had practically been dyed with it, the deep red all but drowning out the natural green. He took the last few steps necessary to reach his target, placing the tip of one of his swords at the captain’s throat._

_“I’ll be taking all your booze, if you don’t mind that is.” He smirked as he watched the blood drip off his blade and land on the man’s neck, trailing back to land on the wooden floors of the ship. The pirate opened his mouth to speak, blood trailing from the corner of his mouth and his eyes all but begging for mercy that was not to come._

_“Get.. up… asshole..” Croaked the ragged captain. The man  leaned down and turned his head, facing his ear towards the pirate that lay frozen on the floor._

_“What was that? I couldn’t hear you, speak up rat!”_

“I SAID GET UP YOU ASSHOLE!”

“GAHH!” Zoro screamed as he rolled and fell off his bed, sheets and pillows flying before he landed flat on the floor of his bedroom, his face digging into the ugly blue carpet.

 

“Will you get dressed already? You have school in fifteen minutes and I have work! I will NOT wait for you any longer now get your lazy ass UP and GET IN THE CAR!” With that, the door to his room slammed behind him, the “GET LOST” sign on his door banging against the wood. SHE stomped down the hall and away from Zoro’s room, no doubt heading straight for the car to honk until he was outside of their apartment, dressed and ready to face the miserable day.

 

“Kuina… you BITCH!” Zoro yelled to nobody but himself as he flopped over onto his back. Zoro stared at the ceiling as he took in his surroundings, and the dream that had been so vivid and _real_ just moments ago. How badly did Zoro wish he had been born in a different era? The era of pirates and bounty hunters, of adventures and treasure beyond your wildest dreams! But no. Here he was. Stuck in the world of the 21 st century. Stuck in modern day Toronto. STUCK where nothing exciting EVER happens besides the odd whacko waving a gun around in the subway or a Mcdonalds parking lot. Even then, it never even lasted long enough to-

 

_*HONK! HONK HONK HONK!*_

 

“I’M COMING! I’M COMING!” Zoro forced himself up onto his feet and looked over to his alarm clock, resting haphazardly on his bedside table where he had accidentally knocked it in the panic.

 

8:10

 

“Shit!” Zoro scrambled over to his dresser and pulled out a pair of jeans, a t-shirt that switched from blue to white in the center, socks, and a pair of underpants. He made quick work of pulling off his pajamas and replacing them with today’s selection of clothing. He threaded a belt he found hanging from a random spot in his closet through his belt loops and ran to the kitchen. Zoro opened the bag of bread on the counter and pulled out a slice, sticking it in the toaster and setting the timer before pushing the lever down. The little red light went off, signaling he was ‘a-okay’ to go on with the rest of his morning. Zoro ran into the bathroom and looked at his reflection in the mirror while he rolled on his deodorant.

 

His hair was an absolute mess, sticking up in all the wrong places and making him look like some sort of demon. _Great! If the guys at school saw this, they would piss themselves laughing. “Classroom Demon Roronoa Zoro” complete with horns._ He looked exhausted too, well, he always kinda did. He noticed that he had accidentally knocked one of his earrings into an odd position during his sleep and straightened it. He turned on the faucet and wet his hands, threading them through his hair before combing it to his liking and brushing his teeth. Zoro made his way over to where his coat was hanging and slipped it over his shoulders while the brush still hung from his lips.

 

 _Is something burning..?_ SHIT! THE TOAST! Zoro ran back to the kitchen and slammed the release button on the toaster, watching the charred looking thing pop out and land on the counter, blackened crumbs spreading out where they so desired. Zoro groaned and walked back to the bathroom where he rinsed out his mouth and put his toothbrush away. Zoro crossed the hallway back into his bedroom and flung his school bag over his shoulder. He pocketed his cell phone, which was sitting on the floor next to one of the pillows he had flung in his waking.

 

_*HONK HONK HONK HONK HOOONNNKKKKK!*_

 

“HONKING MORE ISN’T GONNA MAKE ME GO ANY DAMN FASTER! YOU’RE JUST GONNA PISS OFF THE NEIGHBORS!” Zoro shouted out his bedroom window as he glared down at the ugly burgundy station wagon that sat in his driveway.

 

“MAYBE IF YOU WOULD MOVE A LITTLE FASTER IN THE FIRST PLACE, WE WOULDN’T HAVE THIS PROBLEM! NOW GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE!” Kuina shouted back, waving her fist at Zoro threateningly, her dark blue hair falling around her face like water as she leaned out the car window.

 

Zoro flung his arms up in defeat and ran for the front door, picking up his charred toast on his way past the kitchen and slipping his runners onto his feet. Zoro grabbed his house key from the table next to the door and ran outside, locking the door behind him and skipping every second step on the stairs on his way down to the car. Zoro threw his bag into the back seat and walked around the front of the car, jumping into the passenger side and buckling in. Kuina screeched out of the driveway and started on the way to ‘Sabaody High’.

 

“Why the fuck didn’t you wake me up earlier?!”

 

“HOW is that MY job?! That’s what your alarm clock is for dumbass! You know, I didn’t have to drive you to school, I could have just let you sleep so SHOW SOME GRATITUDE!”

 

“I could have walked to school! I don’t need your help!”

 

“OH! You could have walked to school? Do you remember the last time I let you _walk_ to school? You ended up in fucking Mississauga! It’s a 20 damn minute walk and you ended up in another CITY!”

 

“Your directions were confusing and you know it!”

 

“God damnit Zoro! I can’t fight with you while I’m driving! Shut up and eat your- wait what the _fuck_ is that?”

 

“IT’S TOAST! I WAS IN A DAMN HURRY AND IT GOT BURNED!” Zoro turned his head and glared out the window as he watched the buildings pass by, trying his best to commit them to memory so that he could try again with this ‘walking to school’ business tomorrow. Zoro let his mind wander back to the dream he had been having before he was so rudely woken while he ate his… “breakfast”.

 

It had always been Zoro’s dream to be a great swordsman. Which was absolutely absurd considering it was 2010 and there weren’t any swordsmen just wandering around in Canada to fight with. Maybe that’s why he always dreamed of pirates. There were always plenty of swordsman to battle with back in the times of the pirates and there was always plenty of money in the bounty hunting business. If he had been born in a different time, he would have been loaded with money from bringing in bounty after bounty and he wouldn’t have to worry about going to school or learning how to drive or any of that because he could just wander. Zoro had always dreamed that if he were to be a swordsman back in the pirate era, he would have used not one, not two, but THREE swords. Of course, he would never tell anybody that, they would laugh at him, and even if they didn’t, they would look at him differently.

 

Zoro’s daydreams were interrupted abruptly when the door he was leaning on was thrust open and he fell forward onto the pavement. Twisting so he landed on his back and not his face like he had that morning.

 

“OW! JESUS CHRIST KUINA! YOU UNBUCKLED MY SEATBELT?! WHAT IF I LANDED ON MY HEAD?!” Zoro yelled as he watched her reach into the back seat, pulling out his school bag and throwing it at him. She slammed both the doors shut and walked around the car to the driver’s side, looking at Zoro over the top of the car.

 

“YOU’RE WELCOME!” Zoro could have sworn he saw the slightest hint of a smirk playing at Kuina’s lips as she jumped into her seat and drove off. Zoro turned around and looked up at his school, which Kuina had apparently dropped him off DIRECTLY in front of, kicking him out of the car right at the gate.

 

The school was empty. Empty save for one blond guy sitting on the ground and leaning against the stone gate and staring at Zoro. Eyes wide with a mixture of what looked like shock and confusion. He must have watched the entire scene play out right in front of him. Zoro cleared his throat and walked through the gate and attempted to open the main doors of the school.

 

Locked. _Why the fuck- NO_. No, she hadn’t! Zoro frantically pulled his phone out of his pocket and turned it on, watching the screen light up and the digital letters display, “7:04 am” _Please, please, PLEASE tell me my clock is off!_ Zoro ran back out of the gate and up to the blond teenager, who was still sitting, looking as confused as ever. His school bag sat beside him so Zoro knew he must be a student.

 

“WHAT TIME IS IT?!” The guy stared at Zoro for a little while before rolling up the sleeve of his coat and looking down at his watch. He looked disappointedly at his wrist before he let the sleeve fall back into place and returned his gaze to Zoro.

 

“7:04 am.”

 

“God DAMNIT! She changed the time on my alarm clock again!” Zoro paced around in circles angrily as he tried to compose himself. _How many more times do I have to fall for that before I start checking my own damn phone in the morning?! No WONDER my alarm didn’t go off! God, if I really COULD use three swords at once, she would be the first one I would take down!_ Zoro stopped suddenly in his tracks, turning around to face the blond guy and stare at him quizzically.

 

“Hang on. If it’s so early, why are you here?” The blond teen blushed and buried his face in his coat, looking away from Zoro before speaking in his low, rough voice. _Geez this guy hit puberty early, never heard a kid with that kind of voice before. Well, besides me. Does he smoke..? Sounds like it, and what’s with that accent? He’s foreign, that’s for sure._

 

“I.. just transferred here and I didn’t know what time school started.. I wanted to be sure I wasn’t late...” Zoro stared at the blond for a long time, watching his embarrassed blush deepen until he looked like he had turned into a tomato. Then he burst out laughing.

 

“You-you come to a different country and don’t even check what time their schools start?! What kind of crazy-ass school would start at seven am? AHAHAHAHA!” Zoro wrapped his arms around his stomach as he roared with laughter, tears coming to his eyes as he watched the blond struggle with what to say.

 

“SHUT UP! I-it’s not like I had a choice! You live here and you can’t even get the timing right you-you damn MOSS-HEAD!” Zoro stopped dead when he heard the insult. People didn’t insult his hair, people _knew_ not to insult his hair, lest they incur the wrath of “Classroom Demon Roronoa Zoro”.

 

“What did you just call me? Curly-brow?” Zoro saw a vein pop in the blonds head. He looked ready for a fight at this point, arms tense at his sides, hands balled up into fists, teeth clenched. Locks of blond hair covered the left side of his face, hiding it almost completely while the rest fell to his shoulders. One blue eye stared angrily into his green ones as his nostrils flared angrily. His eyebrow, which curled as it reached the outside of his face and before the beginning of his hairline, was scrunched together in frustration. Zoro chuckled at how funny he looked when he was angry but was interrupted shortly with-

 

“BASTARD!” The blond swung his leg around, aiming for Zoro’s ribs. Zoro did NOT yelp as he jumped back and dodged the teens kick, only to be presented with another aimed for his legs not a second later. Zoro moved to his left and lunged forward, his fist readied to punch the blond right in the side of his head, but he ducked out of Zoro’s reach just in time and threw his body forward, his elbow digging into Zoro’s gut. Zoro choked and stumbled backwards, clutching onto his stomach and cursing under his breath. The blond teen smirked and stood up straight, dusting off his jeans and fixing his hair.

 

Zoro took advantage of his cocky attitude and swung his fist towards the blond once again, this time, it connected with his jaw. His head whipped to the side and he grit his teeth to keep from accidentally biting his tongue. The blond massaged his jaw and spit off to the side, there was a pinkish tinge to it and Zoro would have felt bad if the guy hadn’t been asking for it. The blond seemed to take a moment, stretching out his shoulders and back before lurching forward and swinging his legs wildly.

 

Zoro shrugged off his school bag and fought back with a barrage of punches, dodging whenever a hit came too close to contact for his liking. He was fast though, unbelievably fast. Whenever Zoro would manage to land a hit on the guy, he would retaliate fully with a well-placed kick to his ribcage, he even managed to get one or two in his head. By the time it was over, they were both sweaty and panting, wobbling slightly but neither giving in to the want to just fall back and _breathe._

 

Zoro wiped away a drop of blood that trailed from his lip. It was split, the pain was throbbing and he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. His ribs were sore and he was pretty sure they would be bruised badly by tomorrow morning. The blond didn’t look much better though. That first punch Zoro had gotten in on him was already starting to turn into a deep, purple bruise.

 

“Hey, look, Zoro got in another fight” One girl in the crowd murmured to her friend.

 

“Yeah, when will that guy give up? He’s just showing off at this point.” Was the reply.

 

“But the guy he just fought is still standing! That usually never happens…” interjected a third student.

 

Zoro looked around him to see that a crowd of students had now gathered to watch the show. _Shit, how long have we been fighting?_ Zoro pulled out his phone and checked the time. 7:53. _Well that’s one way to pass time._

 

“The fuck are you guys looking at? Get lost!” The group that had surrounded them suddenly dispersed, all but one scrawny looking kid. He was wearing a red t-shirt loose-fitting cargo shorts, held up by a belt with a picture of a skull and cross bones on the front. A scar sat under his left eye, which was currently pinched upwards because of the face-splitting grin he was sporting. Black hair hung barely in front of his eyes, messy and unmanaged as always and thick-rimmed glasses sat haphazardly on his face.

 

“Shishishishishi, ZORO! Did you get in another fight! That’s awesome!!”

 

“Geez Luffy.. most people wouldn’t be so happy about that.” Luffy stepped forward so he was now standing directly in front of Zoro and reached a hand around him, patting him on the back.

 

“Yeah, but you won right? Why wouldn’t I be happy about that?!”

 

“I… I didn’t win Luffy, it was a tie.” Zoro looked back at the blond, who nodded in confirmation, it was small and short, but it was there.

 

“SERIOUSLY?!” Luffy turned around to look at the teen and stared at him for a while, sizing him up before letting another wide grin break out across his features.

 

“Dude! You should totally hang out with us at lunch!” The blonds eyes practically bugged out of his head, as well as Zoro’s, who grabbed Luffy by the shoulders, turning him around and shaking him.

 

“Luffy! Are you _kidding_ me?! I _just_ finished punching that guy in the face and you want him to ‘hang out with us at lunch’?!”

 

“Well if he’s strong enough to tie with you in a fight, than it’s better to have him on our side, isn’t it?” Now, to Luffy, the logic was flawless. But to somebody with just a little bit more common sense, it’s pretty obvious how absurd that sounded. Zoro’s theory was proven even further when the blond teen next spoke.

 

“Luffy, was it?  Thank you, for the offer, but I don’t need friends. I’m only here for a year and a half and I don’t need anybody tying me down to this place. Especially not some green-haired asshat and his sidekick.” Luffy looked… almost confused. Like he didn’t understand the rejection. He looked between Zoro, and the blond man. Back to Zoro. Now back to the blond. Then he smiled the widest smile he had done so far that day before announcing gleefully,

 

“I DON’T ACCEPT IT!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time, on Okonomi-Yaki!  
> Zoro: What?! That blond moron's joining our group?! Like hell I'm going to let that happen! But if Luffy says so there isn't much I can do. Guess I'll deal with it after classes... and after I get these wounds all patched up. Damn! That guy packs a punch!


	2. The Transfer Student

“Yo! Zoro! How’s it- holy shit, what happened to you? You’re bleeding man!”

 

“I’m fine Usopp, I jus-“

 

“Zoro got in another fight!” Luffy announced proudly from behind where Zoro stood.

 

“He WHAT?! Zoro! If you keep doing that you’re going to get expelled!” Nami shrieked where she stood next to Usopp. Usopp and Nami were two of the many people that Luffy, much like he had attempted with the blond guy outside, convinced into being friends. Usopp was a darker skinned guy, born in Africa and moved to the country when he was young. He had pretty full lips for a guy, and weird ass eyelashes to go with them, but they weren’t even his most distinct feature. That would be his nose. Usopp had an incredibly long nose, long enough you could wrap your whole hand around it. Today he was wearing his usual oil and paint stained jeans with a loose tee on top. He had on a thick, green sweater and his long, curly, black hair was tied into a ponytail at the end. It looked kind of like a ball of cotton candy. His goggles, which he always had on him for some damn reason, sat just at his hairline.

 

Nami, the witch, was standing next to him. She was slightly tanned but not by much, you couldn’t really be too tan during the winter unless it was fake anyway, and she didn’t do that spray on stuff. Her long, orange, wavy hair flowed loosely past her shoulders and just above the middle of her back. She was wearing a tank top and one of those long, shoulder bearing sweaters on top, making the tattoo on her left shoulder visible. She had on a pair of strappy platforms and skinny jeans that left little to the imagination, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. She pushed her glasses further up her face before continuing her rant on Zoro.

 

“What were you even fighting about?!”

 

“I DON’T KNOW! The guy just pissed me off. Where’s Chopper?”

 

“Where do you think, he’s at his desk, studying.” Usopp pointed to the back corner of the classroom where the group of them all sat together. There he was. Big, brown eyes focused on the work in front of him, which looked to be biology homework. The kid had skipped two years of school and was now studying whatever classes he though would help him to get into med-school. Thick brown locks of hair fell into his face where and he blew them away every once in a while.

 

_*BRRRRRRRRRRR*_

 

The bell went and Zoro shrugged at Nami, smirking at the way she fumed at her conversation being cut off. But she couldn’t argue. Class was class. Zoro walked over and sat down at his desk which was placed directly behind Usopp’s, and next to an empty seat.

 

Zoro stared out the window of his homeroom, watching the trees rustling softly in the chilly wind of early spring, late winter. He sat at the back of the class because, well, firstly, because usually nobody caught him sleeping back there. Secondly, because nobody bothered him except for his small group of friends. Nobody sat to the right of him, nobody dared to. After all, he’s “Classroom Demon Roronoa Zoro”. Every other chair in the classroom was taken before the one next to him was. Apparently though, that would change today.

 

“Okay class! I’d like to introduce you all to a new transfer student we have!” Mr.Shanks, their homeroom teacher, or ‘Red-Haired Shanks’ as they all called him, looked over to the doorway and, using his one arm, motioned the kid standing there to come inside. Yes, one arm, he’d been in a nasty wildlife accident a while back. Zoro continued to stare out the window, not the least bit interested until he heard that same low, almost raspy voice he had heard yelling at him just a half hour ago.

 

“The name’s Sanji. Sanji Prince. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.” Zoro whipped his head around to stare at the blond man, noticing that he was also staring back. He looked disappointed. Zoro almost felt bad for the guy because the last free seat in the class room was the one right next to him. And the kid that sat in the seat in front of that one? Luffy. There would be absolutely no way for “Sanji” to avoid Luffy’s friendship now. The blond seemed to realize this as he looked around the classroom, scanning for somewhere else to sit and sullenly settling on the chair right next to Zoro.

 

“So, Sanji, it looks like you’ll be sitting next to-“

 

“NO! Mr.Shanks, if he sits there, he’ll block my perfect view of Zoro~!” Zoro winced at the shrill voice that came from the seat just on the other side of the empty one next to him. _Perona…_ Usopp had been enough of a threat to keep her from sitting right next to him, but it was like the damn girl was _obsessed_ with him. Always following him around at school, trying to dress him up like… like a damn teddy bear!

 

“Sorry Perona! Looks like that’s the only seat left! Of course, you and Sanji could always switch.” Offered Shanks. The pink-haired punky looking girl smiled brightly and looked over to Zoro, who flinched away but relaxed when he saw Usopp turn to wave at her, a shit eating grin plastered on his face.

 

“Hi Perona~!” Usopp wiggled his fingers as he waved at her and she immediately retracted her request, shaking her head and turning her attention back to her own desk. Perona had been afraid of Usopp since he put a handful of cockroaches down her shirt in middle school and wouldn’t go near him since. Zoro still remembers how much she cried when she just couldn’t get the one last cockroach that crawled all over her and eluded her fingers.

 

“Yo! Sanji! I guess you get to sit with us! Shishishishishi!” Luffy laughed as he motioned to the blond. Zoro heard him groan slightly but he walked over to his newly appointed desk and sat down. Zoro turned to look back out the window and tried to ignore the entire situation. Sanji was still sporting that bruise from their fight that morning, he would be for a while with how hard Zoro had hit him. He had covered it up well with his hair but it was still fairly visible. Luffy turned around in his chair to face him, smile ever present on his face.

 

“So, you’re joining us for lunch today, right?” _Shit, that’s right. I didn’t have the chance to pack a lunch today because I was in such a panic to get to school. I didn’t even have time to grab my wallet._ He probably had enough time to walk back home and get it before school started, but Kuina was right… unfortunately, he didn’t have time to get lost today.

 

“I thought I already told you, no.”

 

“And I told _you_ that I didn’t accept that answer. You’re eyebrows are cool and you’re strong so I want you to eat with us.” Zoro groaned internally. _Luffy the more you try and explain the less sense you make! Just let this one go._ But nope, that was too much to ask and Zoro knew that. Once Luffy had his mind set, it would happen. Even that guy, Law, cracked after about a month of pestering and now sits on the other side of Luffy.

 

“So you’re the guy that got in a fight with Zoro, huh?” Nami asked as she leaned over Luffy’s desk.

 

“Whoa! Nami, how could you tell?!” Luffy laughed happily as he looked over at Zoro, looking for some sort of response that Zoro was not about to give.

 

“Well hello mademoiselle~! Unfortunately, yes, I was the one to take on the brute moss-head.” Zoro’s jaw clenched and he turned to glare at the cocky blond. Sanji kept his attention on Nami, only glancing over in Zoro’s direction through his thick, blond bangs and shooting him a short glare.

 

“I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure of being introduced my love~.” Sanji cooed.

 

“Nami. Nami Apelsin. So, what did you do to piss him off?” Nami continued her interrogation, reaching her hand out to him for a handshake that had hearts practically pouring out of the guys ears. _What is up with this guy? Every word she says is practically turning this guy to jelly._

 

“And I am the great Captain Usopp! That’s right, the great Usopp Vegter!”

 

“I didn’t ask your name, now did I shithead? I asked for hers.” Sanji pointed his thumb in Nami’s direction while he glared at Usopp.

 

“You ass! You’re going to be having lunch with us so I just thought you should know all our names! Anyway, the guy that sits in front of me is Chopper! He’s only thirteen and he’s practically already a doctor!” Sanji looked genuinely interested as he glanced over to child still studying furiously at his desk.

 

“Oh shut up Usopp! You know complimenting me like that never makes me happy or anything~!” Chopper turned around to introduce himself and _immediately_ saw the way that both boys were bruised and cut up.

 

“GAH! What happened to you two?!”

 

“I was JUST talking about it! They got in a fight and now he’s having lunch with us, isn’t that right, Sanji~?” Nami fluttered her eyelashes and gave one her prettiest smiles. The kind of smile that could never work on Zoro no matter how hard she tried. It never ceased to piss her off that she couldn’t convince the swordsman to go along with her whims.

 

“Why are you trying to convince him to eat with us anyway? Luffy was the one who invite him!”

 

“Because captain’s orders that’s why!” Luffy laughed to himself as he bounced in his chair.

 

“Oh, so we’re a pirate crew now are we?” Zoro chuckled as he rummaged through his bag, looking for any spare change he could find to buy himself lunch. Mission unsuccessful.

 

“Yes, yes we are! And I’m the captain and the captain says that Sanji is eating with us!”

 

_*BRRRRRRRRRRR*_

 

 _Thank fuck!_ Zoro pulled his school bag over his shoulder and made his way to the door, turning left only to be stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

 

“What do you want, witch?” Zoro spat as he turned his head slightly to look at Nami.

 

“You’re going the wrong way.”

 

“You don’t know that! What if I usually go this route to my classes, huh?”

 

“You don’t. We have the same history class together first block and right now, you’re heading in the direction of the science classrooms and a dead end. So just follow me you dumbass.” Zoro murmured curses under his breath but followed behind as he was instructed until they reached their class room.

 

‘History 11 with Miss Nico.’ Zoro hated these kinds of classes. Writing and learning about people who have been dead for years always bored him out of his mind. The only reason he was actually passing the class was because he sits next to Nami and the witch would never give him a damn break. Every time he would finally manage to doze off she’d hit him so hard in the head that he could feel his brain rattling around in his skull. At least he had strength and conditioning second block or he would go crazy before he even made it to lunch time.

 

“Good morning Mr.Roronoa. It looks like you’ve had quite an eventful morning.” Chimed the beautiful history teacher. Zoro wasn’t much into girls but he knew when one was pretty. For instance, he knew Nami was pretty, her friend that sits at the front of homeroom Vivi was fairly pretty (Her boyfriend Kohza certainly thinks so), and Miss Nico was also pretty. That’s probably the only reason why most people in the classroom are actually passing the class.

 

“Yeah, morning Miss Nico.” Zoro dragged himself to his seat and pulled out his history book. He forced himself awake for most of the class and practically ran out when he heard the bell go off. He was stopped however when he heard Miss Nico’s silky voice call from behind him.

 

“Mr.Roronoa. I suggest you get that lip of yours looked at. I could write you a note excusing you from your next class for the first half if you would like?” She pulled out a pen and paper, giving Zoro a look that, even though Zoro knew it was a question, it came out much more like a demand. Zoro nodded his head and slowly walked over to her desk.

 

“Get your side looked at too. I can see the way you wince when you turn.” She smiled as she handed him the note and he nodded again, feeling slightly disappointed for having to miss the first half of gym for a damn checkup. Zoro walked back out the classroom door and made his way to the nurse’s office.

 

“Zoro-ya, I knew you’d be in here at some point today, I saw what happened, sit down and shirt off.” Zoro grunted as he made his way to the medical bed and sat down. He shrugged his sweater off and pulled his shirt over his heading, cringing at the way his side hurt as he stretched his arms over his head.

 

“So, Law, how’s the hands on training going?” Law rolled up the sleeves on his button up shirt, revealing tribal tattoos that patterned each one, D.E.A.T.H. tattooed on the knuckles of the fingers on each hand, people had learned not to question his tattoos early on. It wasn’t that Law would become violent, he would answer truthfully, which was actually the worst part. Zoro watched as Law walked around him to place his stethoscope to his back.

 

“Well, it all depends on how you view things. Breathe in. Because I’m still only in high school, it’s not really legal for me to do anything outside of putting a Band-Aid on cuts and scrapes, but sometimes I am able to convince Dr.Kureha to look the other way, such as, for instance, right now. Breathe out… Good. Because I already completed all of my academic courses over the summertime and began my studies on medical science when I was around six, I was able to convince them to give me a few free blocks to ‘play doctor’ with the other students. Breathe in.” Zoro tried his hardest not to cough or flinch away from the pain in his ribs when he took in too deep a breath.

 

“Your ‘friend’ comes in here more often than not with brand new cuts and bruises, he gives me plenty of study material. One more time, breathe out. Sometimes I think he does it on purpose just so he can visit me and ask me to join his… what is he calling it now? His ‘crew’. Now does it hurt when I do…this?” Law poked at one of the purpling bruises on Zoro’s side.

 

“Gah… yeah, a little. That’s Luffy for you though, isn’t it? There are probably hundreds of people in this school who would like to be his friend but he’ll only really accept the few people who actually don’t want it. Just you wait though, you’re going to get into some sort of pinch, possibly – Shit! Right there… possibly life threatening and he’ll be there for you. He’ll save the day, like he always does.”

 

“Yes, that seems to be what he does.” Law chuckled to himself as he pulled away from Zoro’s sides and went to examine his lip. Zoro opened his mouth, giving Law a better view of the damage. Law fingered the split gingerly and nodded once he was finished with his examination. Law walked over to the medicine cabinet and pulled out a bottle of pills, shaking two into his hands. He filled up a plastic cup with water from the sink and passed them both to Zoro.

 

“There doesn’t look to be any internal bleeding, so that is good, nothing is broken either. Your lip has swelled slightly but there doesn’t seem to be an infection. The best I can prescribe for you is some pain killers and I would ask you to stay here and skip gym class but somehow I know that that isn’t going to work out. You’ll sneak out on me the second I turn my back so do try _not_ to hurt yourself further.”

 

“Thanks doc.” Zoro threw the pills into his mouth and chugged down his cup of water. He pulled back on his shirt, flung his school bag back onto his shoulders and made for the door.

 

“Oh, and Zoro-ya. Once again, what I just did was slightly illegal so if we can keep it on the down low?” Zoro laughed and nodded, looking back to see the permanent smirk still dancing across Law’s face as the doc popped a grape sucker into his mouth.

 

“No problem, see you in homeroom.” Zoro jogged down to the gym, making his way out the side doors and going straight for the men’s locker. Once he was dressed in his gym clothes, he ran outside to meet with everybody at the track. They were all already doing laps and Zoro still needed to hand in his note, so he went straight for the teacher.

 

“Ah! Zoro, you made it! I thought you were skipping out on me.”

 

“Nah, I’d never miss this class, I was just in the medical room getting checked out for some minor injuries, here’s my note.” Zoro handed the teacher his note and watched him read it over.

 

“Injuries? And you’re still going to put yourself through my harsh training? Zoro, you need to value your life more, it’s a precious thing and you only ever get one of it, to sacrifice such a thing would be-“

 

“Mr.T-Bone, I’m fine. Seriously, it’s no big deal.” Zoro assured the large, odd-looking man. His complexion was somewhat… greyish, and he’s missing one of his teeth. Mr.T-Bone certainly was one of the odder looking teachers. His face kind of reminded him of that of a skeleton, no, a zombie, hollow looking eyes and prominent teeth.

 

“Well… if you say so all I can do is trust you. Now go run laps with the rest of the students! And make them as square as possible. I don’t like how curved that damned track is…” He muttered that last bit to himself as he went about with his own business, checking up on the students in the lower classes who were currently in the middle of a series of push-ups.

 

Zoro joined the other students in their laps and let his mind wander as he ran. First thing on his mind was lunch, it was going to happen in about 45 minutes and he didn’t have anything to eat. After the day he was having, he was sure he’d be pretty hungry by the time lunch rolled around, but it’s not like he had much of a choice other than to wait until after school. He didn’t have enough time to go home and make anything and by the time he came back with his wallet the cafeteria would be closed. He could ask for a loan from Nami, she always carried around money but… nope. He still owed her from the last time he borrowed money for her and that just kept collecting more and more interest. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Zoro knew she would never actually try to collect on the outrageous sum he’s owed her since middle school.

 

The second thing on his mind was, well, it still kind of counted as lunch, it was that blond kid. He would be joining them today to eat, that, Zoro was sure of. If Luffy is sure of it, it’s going to happen. _What is with that guy anyway? He’s got a real fucking attitude towards me and the rest of the guys but the second Nami bats an eyelash, he turns to jelly. PLEASE don’t tell me he’s one of those perverts…_

 

Strength class went by almost flawlessly, Zoro’s side was still sore but the pain meds that Law gave him must have been pretty strong because he only really felt the pain when he stretched his arms especially far. That and he was feeling the slightest buzz of happiness that came with the best kind of pain meds.

 

_*BRRRRRRRRRRR*_

 

Zoro went back to the men’s locker and changed into his jeans and shirt, ignoring the looks he got from the other guys when they saw the bruise that seemed to have finally stopped growing since the last time he looked at it. He was more than used to looks in the change room though with the scar on his chest. He then made his way to the homeroom, the room that he and the rest of his ‘crew’ sat in every lunch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time, on Okonomi-Yaki!  
> Zoro: Damnit, it's already lunch time? Aw crap, I didn't get the chance to pack anything this morning! Wait, that curly asshole is in one of my classes, and why is he following me home?! No way! Well, I guess a shower will wash away all this bullshit.


	3. Sanji, The Cook

“Look who I found trying to eat alone outside!” Luffy shouted as he entered the homeroom, angry blond in tow.

 

Zoro looked up from his lunch of… a mint he found in his jacket pocket, to see Sanji irritably sitting down in his seat, setting down his lunch and dropping his school bag to the floor.

 

“Luffy, have you ever thought of just leaving people alone?” Usopp asked as he took another bite of his peanut butter and banana sandwich.

 

“Usopp, get that damn thing away from me.” Zoro grumbled.

 

“Oh, right, sorry bro. Anyway, Luffy, did you hear my question? Luffy!”

 

“Why would I do that? He’s my friend and friends hang out together. It’s as simple as that.” Zoro rolled his eyes and turned to look out the window, staring down into the courtyard and watching the booty calls. Boys chasing girls and pulling on their pig tails, girls giggling to each other when a cute guy walks by. _Stupid…_ Zoro had never understood the idea behind it. Apparently, he was considered a real looker among the guys at his school, you know, whenever he wasn’t scowling, which wasn’t often. He was the ‘Bad Boy’ or something like that. Zoro let his eyes slowly fall shut as he got lost in his train of thought.

 

“Oi, Mosshead.” And then his train of thought crashed. Zoro turned to scowl at Sanji, only to be met with a very confused looking blond.

 

“So, two things. One, are they… always, like this..?” Sanji pointed at the rest of the group.

 

“Come oooonnn! The captain says share so SHARE!” Luffy commanded as he tried to pull Usopp’s pudding cup from his fingers.

 

“You _just_ had like, four sandwiches! You don’t need any more food!” Usopp argued as he tried to take back his chocolate pudding.

 

“LUFFY! God DAMNIT stop trying to take Usopp’s pudding!” Nami punched Luffy in the back of the head, causing him to release his grip on said pudding cup and fall forward onto his desk.

 

“NAMI! If you keep hitting him like that he’s going to get some sort of permanent brain damage!” Chopper squealed as he ran over to examine Luffy’s head.

 

“Yeah, that’s pretty average. He usually goes after my food first though.” Zoro’s stomach grumbled at the mention of food and he glowered down at it.

 

“Okay, that brings me to point two. Where’s your lunch?”

 

“I-uh… forgot to pack one this morning in my hurry to get to school…”

 

“Wait, so you get to school an _hour_ early and you didn’t even pack a damn LUNCH?!” Zoro expected the guy to laugh right in his face, but he didn’t. He just shook his head and turned to his own food, pulling out a black thermos and a couple of fruits.

 

“What’s it to you Curly-brow?” No answer. Zoro huffed a short breath and attempted to turn his attention back to his window. He was quickly interrupted again when small thermos lid of what looked like beef stew was suddenly placed in front of him. Zoro turned to look questioningly at the blond that had put it there. Sanji was silent for a moment, focusing on the other small snacks he had packed in his lunch, but gave in when Zoro just sat there and stared at him.

 

“I don’t like it when people don’t eat. I found the school microwave and used it so it should be hot. Just eat it and remember to bring a lunch tomorrow so we don’t have to do this again.” Zoro continued to scowl at Sanji for a little while but decided that it sounded like a genuine explanation. Well, as genuine as that asshole could get. Zoro picked up the lid and placed it to his lips, tipping it up and letting the hot liquid pour down his throat.

 

 _Holy shit this is really fucking good did he make this?_ Small chunks of beef, carrot, and potato cascaded over his tongue and he chewed on them as he let more of the spiced liquid snake down his throat. Zoro tried not to let a groan escape as he tipped the lid up further and downed the entire thing. He must have failed because out of the corner of his eye, he saw the blond smirk and lean his chin on his palm.

 

“S’ good, isn’t it?” Zoro wanted to tell him how good it was. How _amazing_ it was. But the look that Sanji was giving him, that cocky smirk, told him that he already knew he was a good cook. Sanji didn’t need any more goading on, so he shrugged. A vein popped in Sanji’s head and he growled angrily before turning back to his half of the food. The rest of the lunch went by pretty smoothly, Luffy only managed to steal a few of Usopp’s carrot sticks, which he wasn’t very happy with considering he was hoping for either meat or something chalk full of sugar. Luffy even tried to steal food from Sanji every once in a while, receiving a well-placed boot to the head.

 

_*BRRRRRRRRRRR*_

 

Zoro roused from his daydreams and tossed all of his school supplies into his bag, throwing it over his shoulder and dragging himself out of the classroom. Zoro had biology next and if he remembered what Nami had told him earlier, the science classrooms were to the… _Oh fuck it, that way._ Nami grabbed Zoro by the collar of his shirt as she walked by him, turning him around and pointing him in the direction of his classroom.

 

“You’re lucky I learned where your classes are so early in the semester.” Nami griped as she followed Usopp down to the Math 11 classroom. Zoro had math last semester, and unfortunately, he didn’t have it with any of his friends, meaning he’d gotten stuck studying alone. It’s not that nobody offered to help him with his studying, Nami had offered to help him study for ‘the low, low price of 20$ an hour’. Even though she didn’t even know the curriculum yet. Everybody else was too busy. Usopp had his work at the garage, Chopper was _constantly_ studying for med-school, and Luffy was… well… Luffy.

 

“Good afternoon my lovely children~! I hope you enjoyed your lunch, you may have the rare opportunity to enjoy it a second time because today we are dissecting frogs~!” Zoro groaned as he sat down in Mr.Ceaser’s class, the room always smelled almost toxic because he had two chemistry classes beforehand and they always made these noxious gas concoctions. Zoro was 110% sure that Mr.Ceaser was the one that wanted to do all the experiments, but he always told the bio class that his students just wouldn’t be satisfied until they made something that was sure to burn Zoro’s nostrils.

 

Zoro got paired up with some guy named.. Batron? Batromeo? Something like that. Whoever he was, he was a weird looking guy. He was littered with piercings and had these fake fangs he wore that made him look almost like a bore. He always picked his nose during class and Zoro tried his hardest to not make idle conversation with him during the dissection. Other than his less than desirable partner, the procedure went by smoothly and he was soon faced with his final class of the day. Japanese Language 11B, his second language class in a series of four classes.

 

Zoro was more than surprised when he walked into his classroom to find a certain blond, curly-browed, moron sitting in his seat at the back of the class.

 

“Oi. Shitty cook.” Sanji’s ears perked up and he spun around to see Zoro staring down at him.

 

“So now you’re insulting my cooking _and_ following me?” Sanji growled.

 

“This is _my_ class! You’re the one that’s following me you damn eyebrows! And get outta my seat!”

 

“I don’t see your name on it moss-head!” Zoro rolled his eyes and jabbed his finger at a spot in the corner of the desk. Sanji leaned forward to see what it was Zoro was pointing at and cocked an eyebrow when he noticed what it was. A drawing of three swords in the shape of a ‘Z’ was in the top left corner of the desk.

 

“Swords? Really? What are you, twelve? I’m impressed there aren’t skulls and dragons all over the place.”

 

“Shut up and get outta my seat!”

 

“ _BO~YS!_ There is no _ne~ed_ to fight! Sanji, there is an empty _se~at_ in front of _Zo~ro_ , why don’t you sit _th~ere_.” Mr.Kumadori shook one of his hands in front of him as he spoke, his long, white hair tied in a pony tail that reached down to his lower back. His weird speech pattern of adding extra length to certain words had always been… well, weird. Annoying sometimes as well because it would become hard to understand some of the words he was teaching.

 

Sanji nodded and moved over to the seat in front of Zoro, glaring at the green-haired man as he did so. _Great, so now I’m stuck in two classes with this asshole._ Zoro pulled his thinly rimmed glasses from his pocket and stuck them behind his ears, noticing the way that Sanji turned to look at him and raise his eyebrows slightly before turning back, clearing his throat roughly. Zoro removed his textbook from his bag, getting to work on his Japanese sounding out some of the words under his breath.

 

Class went by relatively quickly. Sanji never turned around to talk to Zoro and Zoro didn’t say anything to get a rise out of Sanji, but he couldn’t help but stare at the blond from time to time.

 

_*BRRRRRRRRRRR*_

 

Everybody filed out of the classroom, pushing their way past other students to get through the door first. Zoro didn’t give a shit if he got out first or last though, it was gonna take him forever to get home either way, the damn streets were always changing and it was hard to keep up. When he did eventually get home, he knew he was going to have to face his sister and he was still bitter from what she had done that morning. Zoro pulled off his glasses as he followed behind the other students out of the room.

 

Zoro made his way out the front entrance, rolling his shoulders and trying to shrug off the miserable day. The pain in his ribs had finally subsided, but he knew it would be back with vengeance the next day, it would most likely hurt even more and he was not looking forward to that. He was exhausted too, he wanted to blame it on the strong pain killers Law gave him but he knew he was just a sleepy guy in general. He’d fallen asleep outside in the courtyard during lunch last year and had woken up only when the janitors found him and kicked him out at five. Kuina had made fun of him for weeks after that and he refused to let his friends know what happened, the only reason she had found out is because she was the one that picked him up that day and wouldn’t take him home until he told her what happened.

 

Zoro pulled out his music player and stuck his headphones in his ears, turning up his music almost as high as it would go and turning down the first street on his way home. Zoro looked around him and was surprised when he noticed that Sanji was walking right behind him. Zoro took out his phone and checked the directions Nami had put in his notes, taking the next street that was written down. When he turned around, Sanji was still there.

 

“Oi! Quit following me you damn curly brows!” Zoro turned around and yelled, stopping to watch the blonds reaction. Sanji looked taken aback, almost like he didn’t even notice Zoro was there until just that moment.

 

“I’m not following you dumbass! This is how I get home!” Sanji growled and continued walking past Zoro. Zoro looked down at his phone again and continued to follow his directions. After about fifteen minutes, Sanji was STILL walking in front of him. Zoro tried to ignore it as he turned into the ‘Mary District’ and made his way up the stairs to his apartment. He pulled out his house keys and stuck them in the lock, stopping briefly to look around and he practically stopped breathing when he noticed that at apartment number four, the one three doors down from his own, Sanji was standing at the door with a key stuck in the lock, staring wide-eyed at him.

 

Zoro groaned, running the palm of his hand over his face and unlocking his door. He walked inside and chose not to dwell on the fact that he was now stuck living three doors down from that asshole.

 

Zoro threw his bag down next to the door and dragged himself to his room, pulling his headphones out of his ears and setting his player on the table next to the bed. He set his alarm for 6:30 at night so he could take a nap. Kuina wouldn’t be home from work until late that night, along with Koshiro, so he would have to make dinner for the three of them. If it were anybody else, Zoro would have told them to make their own dinner, but he owed Koshiro a lot. He’d taken him in after everything that happened with his parents and gave him a home. On top of that, as soon as Koshiro had noticed Zoro’s interest in swordsmanship, he had started taking him to his dojo and training him along with Kuina.

 

Zoro grit his teeth as he got even more lost in his thought. He’d never been able to beat Kuina, not while they were children at least. Things were different now. Zoro drifted to sleep after a short while.

 

Zoro was interrupted from his thoughts when his alarm started going off at five. _Shit, I forgot… she changed the time on my damn clock!_ Zoro rolled over in bed and grabbed the clock off his side table, changing the time back to what it should be and removing the alarm. _Fuck it, I didn’t need sleep anyway._ He jumped off his bed and slipped out of his clothes, heading for the shower and looking himself over in the bathroom mirror. The bruise on his side sat proudly, reminding him just how horribly he had lost the fight. Sure it had ended in a tie, but anything that wasn’t a win was a loss in Zoro’s books. Zoro locked the bathroom door and leaned against the wall. He reached a hand over to the shower knob and turned it on, waiting for it to heat up before jumping in.

 

Zoro let the hot water trail down his skin as he washed away the day. He lathered his short, green hair in shampoo, letting it sit for a moment or two before washing it back out.

 

“Ah fuck!” Zoro tried to wash out the soap he’d just gotten in his eyes, supporting himself with his free hand against the wall of the shower. He opened them as best he could and faced towards the spray of the water, holding one that burned especially bad open with his fingers.

 

After he got all the soap out, he spent the next twenty minutes enjoying a nice long shower. He turned the temperature down to nearly freezing right before turning it down all the way so he didn’t suddenly feel cold when he turned the water off. He toweled himself dry and went back to his room, slipping on a pair of pajama pants and a baggy grey T-shirt before putting back on his glasses. He tended not to wear them at school unless absolutely necessary and there was no way he could learn another language without being able to see properly, that’s why he wore them during his Japanese classes and sometimes during his biology and history class. Only when he really needed them. A lot of people didn’t take him as seriously when he wore his glasses, so he fumbled around from classroom to classroom without them during most of the day, it was probably one of the many reasons that he always got lost. It’s not that he couldn’t see without his glasses, he just couldn’t read. Street signs and classroom door signs made no sense to him. He didn’t really care if people saw him wearing them, but he liked it a lot better when nobody bothered him and just thought he was the big scary guy.

 

Zoro took a seat in front of the TV and turned on an old Samurai movie. Luckily, it was in just the language he was looking for, so he was able to get some practicing in, turning off the subtitles and trying to understand what everybody was saying, although, it was mostly just people killing each other. He got up halfway through the movie to get started on dinner, leaving the TV on while he went about making spaghetti. Zoro wasn’t a bad cook, but he wasn’t a good cook either, not in his view anyway. As long as he had instructions, he could cook well, but if he had to make something from memory or by improvising, he wasn’t very good.

 

Zoro pulled a bag of frozen meat sauce out of the freezer. Kuina had made a huge pot of it the other night and separated chunks of it into zip lock bags. Every bag was just enough for the three of them to have as much sauce as they wanted. He threw on a pot of water and turned the heat up to high so it could boil. He grabbed a few slices of bread and set them on a plate on the table, putting a bowl of butter next to it and turning back to his pot of water. He put a handful of noodles in the now boiling water and sticking the frozen sauce in a separate bowl. When everything was done, he served it up and placed it around the table, turning to look out the window and waiting for Kuina and Koshiro to get home.

 

He heard the tell-tale sputtering of the old station wagon as it made its way down the road and to his apartment. If it weren’t for the fact Koshiro was with her, Zoro probably would have just locked her out. But he couldn’t do that, he would get in too much shit for that and probably wouldn’t be allowed back to the dojo for a while. Zoro scowled out the window as he watched Kuina park the car and jump out, walking around and opening the door for Koshiro before closing it again and heading for the front door. _Suck up._

 

Zoro set three glasses at the table and a pitcher of cold water in the center before taking his seat and taking a big forkful of his spaghetti into his mouth. He heard Kuina throw her keys into the bowl next to the door, kicking off her shoes and sitting at the table across from Zoro. Koshiro followed behind her and sat down at the seat in between the two.

 

“Nice job waiting for us asshole.”

 

“You’re lucky I even made you dinner after the bullshit you pulled this morning!” Zoro growled back as she reached over and grabbed a piece of bread.

 

“Kuina, what happened this morning?” Koshiro asked sternly, a serious expression on his face. Koshiro pushed his round glasses further up his face as he waited for her explanation. His long, black hair was tied back in a ponytail flowing down his shoulder.

 

“ _She_ set my damn clock back an hour and dragged my ass to school early!”

 

“Oh don’t be such a baby you little tattle tale!”

 

“Kuina, you are going to apologize to Zoro. And Zoro, you are going to stop getting in fights at school.” Zoro groaned and looked himself over to see what had tipped Koshiro off and remembered his split lip. _Of course he noticed that._

 

“Ooohh, Zoro, you got in another fight? You’re such a disappointment, have some self-control. This is why Koshiro doesn’t let you teach at the dojo-” Zoro’s anger bubbled up inside him and he was just about ready to snap at her when Koshiro cut her off.

 

“Kuina, that’s enough. Now apologize.” She frowned and glared at her father but nodded her head slowly, turning back to look at Zoro she rolled her eyes and apologized. Burying the actual apology in a mountain of sarcastic insults. Zoro knew better than to attempt a better apology out of her because, well, it was hard enough just to get an insult riddled apology from her. The rest of the meal after that went by pretty silently. Zoro didn’t want to talk about the fight from school so he didn’t bring it up again after Koshiro had pointed it out. The blond haired teen had matched him well and it felt almost embarrassing to admit that he hadn’t beat him like he should have. Almost more embarrassing than the fact he had gotten in another fight when he knew that it disappointed his foster father.

 

It had been agreed early on that if you made dinner, you didn’t have to do the dishes after. Since Zoro wasn’t obligated to help any further after their meal was complete, he took the opportunity to sneak back into his room for a long sleep. He fell back onto his bed and rolled himself up in the soft sheets, quickly allowing sleep to take him and snoring obscenely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time, on Okonomi-Yaki!  
> Sanji: Out of the way Mosshead! It's my turn now! GRAH! I can't believe I'm stuck living next to that asshole! I have way too much bullshit to deal with right now without having HIM adding to it! On top of everything, I still haven't finished unpacking yet...


	4. Starting Over

“Shit!” Sanji cursed as he slammed the front door of his apartment shut. He leaned his back against the door, slowly sliding down until he was sitting on the floor.  He reached up and grabbed a pack of cigarettes off the table next to the door and pulled his lighter out of his jacket pocket. He knew he wasn’t allowed to take smokes to school but he might just have to break that rule if he was going to have to spend every day around that Mosshead. He always carried his lighter on him, it was a present from his foster father, Zeff. Even if he didn’t use it, he would stick his hand in his pocket and toy with it every once in a while.

 

Sanji missed the old geezer now that he wasn’t around. He would never admit it to anybody but himself, even then, it would only be in the privacy of his own mind. He was forced to leave the house so suddenly, without preparation. Anybody would have lingering feelings after that. There were many things Sanji wished he had had the chance to say to the old man, face to face. He knew he would have the chance eventually, but it felt like centuries away.

 

Sanji sighed as he ran a hand through his blond hair, pushing it out of his face and looking around his apartment. He stuck a cigarette between his lips and looked back down at his lighter. The old geezer had always been tough on him. Sanji knew it was exactly what he needed, it kept him in line when he wanted to go wild many times, and he owed so much to him. The lighter Zeff had given him before he left the country was one of the few things the old man had ever physically given him, besides a good kick in the ass whenever he was out of line.

 

The lighter had obviously been custom made, just for him. It had a wooden texture to it. On one side of it, there was a skull and cross bones wearing a chefs hat. The left side of its face was covered by the hat and above the eye on the right sat a curly eyebrow. There was also a bit of stubble carved into the chin. On the other side, there was a message carved into it. “I’m proud of you Eggplant. –Zeff” Every time Sanji looked at it, it brought tears to his eyes. He would wipe them away as quickly as they came, but he tended not to turn the damn lighter around when he used it.

 

Sanji flicked open the lid and hit the flint, setting the flame. He brought it up to his cigarette and soon, the stick began to glow a dull amber at the end. After a second, he pulled it away again, letting go of the switch and shaking it until he was sure the flame was smothered before closing it back up. He let his head fall back and _thunk_ against the front door as he inhaled deeply, enjoying the way his lungs burned as it filled with the earthy smoke.

 

“I wonder what they would think if they could see me now…” Sanji grumbled to himself before he pushed himself off the floor and made his way to the kitchen.

 

Sanji grabbed a tie off the counter and reached behind him, tying up his blond hair that was currently sitting at his shoulders in a messy ponytail, leaving his bangs in front of his face. He almost always put his hair up but today he had forgotten because he was in such a hurry to get to school. Even though he had gotten there early anyway.

 

Sanji went through the fridge until he found the pot filled with last night’s stew. It didn’t take him very long to find it, mostly because there wasn’t much food in there. He couldn’t afford much at the moment, but he hoped that would change soon. Sanji pulled a ladle out of one of the drawers and scooped a heaping of stew into a bowl. He stuck it in the microwave and took another drag of his smoke. Sanji looked around his one bedroom apartment. It was pretty empty at the moment. The only furniture he had was what came with the apartment. A couch and a coffee table, a table with a set of two chairs, and an old TV. He couldn’t afford cable at the moment though so the TV sat uselessly on its stand at the moment. His room was no better either. Just a bed and a dresser. Not like he had a choice though. He’d already spent all his money and he couldn’t afford luxuries for himself.

 

Sanji rented the place because it was cheap. Apartment number four of six in the Mary District. The first three apartments were multiple bedroom apartments, the last three only had one. _Guess that means that Mosshead is living with somebody. A roommate, maybe family? He could be living with a girlfriend… no, they would probably share one bedroom then._ Sanji shook away from the thought and turned back to his meal.

 

_*Beep. Beep. Beep.*_

 

Sanji grabbed a cloth and wrapped it around his hand before reaching into the microwave and pulling out his bowl of stew. He set it on the counter and pulled out a spoon, putting out his cigarette in a nearby ash tray. He dipped the spoon into the steaming bowl and withdrew it with a chunk of meat sitting in the middle. Sanji let his thoughts derail again as he ate in silence. _That caveman Mosshead couldn’t even use a spoon when I offered him my food, Well, I guess I never offered him one but I didn’t expect him to just start drinking. Did he even enjoy it? Of course he did, I wouldn’t have offered him any if I didn’t think it was good. So why did he pretend like he didn’t like it? He’s just an asshole, that’s why._

 

Sanji finished off his soup and stuck it under the faucet. He turned on the hot water and went about cleaning the dishes, adding the thermos from lunch to the pile. He dried them off before putting them back in their respective cupboards. Sanji plopped himself on the couch and pulled his laptop out of his bag. He turned it on and typed in his password, opening up his email first thing and checking for any news from Zeff. Yup, the old geezer had messaged him.

 

 _Hey Eggplant,_  
The restaurant is doing fine without you. I knew you would be worrying about it so I thought I would just tell you. Patty and Carne won’t shut up about how much they miss you and I have to give them a good wallop almost every day now. They know why you left. I know you tried to hide it from them but they aren’t stupid. I’m sending you over the rest of your cooking equipment and clothes so don’t suddenly go switching addresses. You and I both know this is only temporary but I still think that you should try and make some friends. I don’t need you being alone in another country, and don’t get in any damn fights!  
                                                                -Zeff

 

Sanji groaned and began typing back a response.

 

 _You old Geezer,_  
Quit worrying about me and focus on the damn restaurant. If that place goes belly up while I’m gone I’m gonna come over there and kick your shitty old ass. And tell those two morons that it doesn’t matter why I left, the point is that I’m gone and I’m not coming back. Thanks for sending me all my shit. I would have brought it all over myself but your cranky old ass wouldn’t give me enough time to. Don’t have a heart attack on the way to the post office. And don’t worry about me making friends, I’ve already been dragged into a group of people that don’t seem to want to let me go… They seem nice so, yeah.  
                                                                -Sanji

 

Sanji looked the email over, nodding once he was satisfied and hitting ‘send’. He closed down his email and moused around his desktop until he found his spreadsheets. He spent the next few hours sorting out his expenses. It was a long and grueling process, but it needed to be done, and he was the only one in the house after all. He couldn’t just make somebody else do it for him like he really wished he could. Once he was satisfied with his work, he closed everything down again and shut his laptop, plugging it into the wall and allowing it to charge.

 

Sanji shuffled to the bathroom and brushed his teeth, staring at his reflection in the mirror as he did so. _Curly-brow, huh?_ Sanji traced a finger over his eyebrow, following the swirly path it took with his index finger. He growled angrily as he thought back to his fight and turned his head to the side. He eyed the nasty bruise that now sat where his jaw met his neck. It was a deep purple and since he had gotten it, it had throbbed with pain. He probably should have gone to the school nurse to at least get some sort of pain meds, but he didn’t want to risk running into that Mosshead getting patched up.

 

Speaking of Mosshead, Sanji seemed to be stuck with him. They shared two classes together and they’re also stuck living three doors down from each other. _It’s almost like I’m being punished._ In no way did that mean that Sanji had to be nice to him though. _But that Luffy kid seems to have other plans…_ Sanji thought back to the people he’d met at school. They were good people that much he could tell. What were their names again… Sanji wracked his brain as he tried to remember because he was sure he would be dragged back to their circle tomorrow. _The beauty with the orange hair was Nami~. Mosshead’s name was Zoro, or something like that. Then there was Luffy and his poufy haired friend Usopp. What was the last one… the kid… oh yeah, Chopper._ It’s not that Sanji was looking forward to spending his next lunch with them, he just didn’t want to be rude and forget their names.

 

Sanji finished up brushing his teeth. He walked across the hallway to his bedroom and changed into a pair of pajama pants. When he looked back over at his clock, he was disgruntled to see it was still only seven at night.

 

“I guess I can practice my Japanese… or maybe I can look online for some new recipes to try out…” Sanji murmured to himself as he looked around his room. The carpet was an ugly green colour and it clashed with the blue-striped wallpaper. Then again, you couldn’t really be picky when the rent was as cheap as it was. He could probably save up enough money and ask the landlord if he could replace it. All that aside, the room was still pretty empty so he didn’t have to clean it, and he didn’t have to work until tomorrow. Today was probably going to be one of the few relaxing days he would have. Sanji would have liked to have been able to just fall asleep or lay down and watch and watch some DVD’s on his laptop, but he just couldn’t sit down. His mind was always reeling and he constantly had to be doing something.

 

Lunch! He still had to make tomorrow’s lunch. _What to make, what to make._ Sanji paced around his kitchen as he thought up what he could make that would still keep within in his budget. There was still plenty of stew left, and he wouldn’t allow himself to waste food. He was probably going to get sick of stew pretty fast, but there was no helping it. Food’s food and it has to be eaten. If he didn’t want to keep eating it every day, he shouldn’t have made so damn much.

 

Okay, stew would be the main meal. What would he have with it then? There were already carrots and potatoes in the stew so it would just be overkill to pair either of those things with it. Sanji spent the next twenty minutes trying to think up what to pair with his stew before settling on making rice. He’d been smart enough to buy a rice maker before he ran outta money, rice was real cheap and damn easy to make. But he would have to make that tomorrow morning, rice didn’t keep well for very long.

 

Sanji looked back to the clock that he kept on his kitchen wall. Only 7:15. Right. Now what to do…

 

Eventually, he decided on finishing whatever unpacking he had left. He had only brought three or four boxes and a luggage bag with him so he didn’t have much, Zeff was sending him the rest. He pulled the last box out from behind the couch. It wasn’t labelled, but he knew what was in it. He knew because he had been avoiding opening it since Zeff had packed it away. Sanji stared at the box for a while before slowly pulling away the tape that held it shut. He pulled open the cardboard flaps and reached inside, removing the plush toy. He held the bear up by its armpits and stared into its black, button eyes. His grip tightened and he pulled his elbows in, bringing the bear closer to his body as he dropped his head. It had been years now, he should be fine to at least _touch_ the thing, but it still felt like it burned every time. Sanji forced himself to stand and carried the bear to his room, placing it on his dresser and laying down in his bed.

 

Sanji stared up at his ceiling. It was just a ceiling, in no way interesting. But somehow, he felt like it deserved his attention for as long as he could give it. For as long as he could go without looking back at the toy that now sat in his room. He would have left it in the box. Hell, he would have left it back in France. But that wouldn’t be right.

 

Sanji let out a ragged sigh as he felt the tears well up in his eyes. He pulled his pillow out from under his head and buried his face in it, biting his lower lip so hard he tasted blood. The taste reminded him of the fight from this morning. Watching the Mosshead spit pink after getting clocked in the face with one of his kicks, but still refusing to go down. He was definitely going to be feeling that kick to the ribs in the morning, he’d aimed that one especially well. Sanji laughed weakly through the tears that were now spilling down his face. _I’d like to fight that guy again if I can. Now that I think about it… it helped me forget for a little while._

 

Sanji threw his pillow away from him and started to drag his fingertips soothingly over his chest. The feeling never failed to calm him down whenever he would get upset. He had no idea how he came across it, he just started doing it once after an especially bad day.

 

What time was it now? Eight? Maybe nine? He’d gotten so lost in his thoughts and his moping that it had probably been at least an hour. It didn’t matter. Anytime was late enough to go to sleep at this point. It had been an exhausting day, running around and trying to find his classes, getting in a fight on the first day. He just needed to sleep it off at this point. Sanji reached behind him and pulled the ponytail out of his hair, curling up under his blankets. _Where the fuck is my- oh yeah…_ Sanji didn’t need a pillow to sleep anyway…

 

He woke at six when his alarm went off. He would have loved to have just gone back to sleep for another hour, but he had too much to do that morning to risk sleeping in. Sanji threw his blankets off and shuffled over to the bathroom, starting up the shower and allowing it to warm up before he jumped inside. The hot water gliding over his skin was a welcome feeling compared to how sweaty and cold he had just been feeling moments earlier. It had not been a good night’s sleep. It never seemed to be anymore. But there was no point in dwelling on it right now, he had shit to do and he couldn’t focus on all his stupid drama.

 

Sanji grabbed his citrusy shampoo from the shelf in his shower and poured a small amount into his hand. He ran it through his hair and revelled in the sweet smell. _Who gives a fuck if it’s girly, it smells good and anybody who says otherwise can say it to my foot._ After he’d soaped up and washed his entire body, he turned off the shower and stepped out wrapping a towel around his waist and looking himself over in the mirror. That bruise that Zoro had given him was still horrifically prominent. Purple and swollen, it looked a lot more painful than it actually felt though. He brushed the knots out of his hair and then got work on cleaning his teeth, washing out the morning breath with every scrub. His jaw locked open and he could have sworn he felt one of his jaw muscles spasm, it hurt like fucking hell to pop his mouth shut again and he massaged his jaw in small circles with his free hand. _Okay maybe it does hurt as bad as it looks. Shit, if I could afford painkillers, I probably would have taken at least seven by now._

 

Sanji went back to his room and threw on a pair of jeans and a waffle shirt, T-shirt combination. He walked over to the kitchen and started to make the rice for his lunch. He ladled a serving of stew into his thermos and packed it in his lunch bag. One the rice was done, Sanji seasoned it and scooped it all into a Tupperware container and put it in his bag along with a bottle of water and some utensils. He reached a hand up and checked his hair, satisfied with how dry it was, Sanji put it up in a ponytail. He’d considered cutting his hair a few times, but he never got around to it. Now was probably as good a time as any though. _Especially now…_

 

Sanji threw the rest of his school supplies in his bag and grabbed his keys off the counter. He grabbed a muffin that he had made the other day and buttered it, sticking it in his mouth as he walked to the front door. He scuffed on his shoes and took one last look around his empty looking apartment before walking outside, closing and locking the door behind him. He looked around outside and noticed the chaos unfolding in front of apartment number one.

 

“You MORON! I’m not lying this time! It’s almost eight and you need to get your ass to school. Now GET. OUT!”

 

“And why the HELL should I believe yo- GAH!” Zoro’s protests were cut short when his sister, _what was here name again… Kuina,_ kicked his ass out the door and threw his schoolbag at his head. Sanji cringed as he watched Zoro rub at the back of his head. Zoro looked around him and saw Sanji looking in his direction. He glared at the blond and made his way down the stairs, rubbing at his eyes sleepily and turning down… the wrong direction..?

 

“Oi! Mosshead! The school is the other way!” Zoro stopped dead, his right foot still mid-step and he turned around in a half circle, stomping off in the other direction. Sanji followed behind him and watched the muscle head try multiple times to go in the wrong direction. Sanji would shout at him every time, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt a couple times to point him where to go.

 

“If you get this damn lost all the time, why don’t you have written directions?”

 

“They’re on my phone and I forgot to charge it last night, now quit following me you damn Curly-brow!”

 

“I’m following you to make sure you get to school on time you shitty Mosshead!”

 

“I didn’t ask for your help!”

 

“I can’t stand to watch a dying animal struggle so just suck it up and follow behind me!” Zoro grumbled angrily under his breath but slowed down, allowing Sanji to pass him so he could follow behind.

 

“Do you want to hold my hand so you don’t wander off?” Sanji raised his eyebrows and turned around to look at Zoro, whose face was turning bright red. His fists were clenched and he looked like he was about to swing for the blonds head but Sanji ducked out of the way and took off running. Checking behind him every once in a while and laughing hysterically as Zoro chased him all the way to the school.

 

“COME BACK HERE YOU CURLY-BROWED BASTARD!”

 

“YOU HAVE TO CATCH ME FIRST MOSSHEAD! LUCKY FOR YOU I LIKE PLAYING HARD TO GET!”

 

“I’M NOT CHASING TAIL YOU MORON! I’M KICKING YOUR ASS BACK HOME!” Sanji howled with laughter, running as fast as his long legs would carry him until he made it to the front gates of the school. Sanji leaned on his knees as he caught his breath, laughing in between each gulping intake. _I hate that asshole… but damn is he fun to fuck with._ Sanji looked back up and saw Zoro standing almost right next to him, balled over and trying his damn hardest to breathe properly. He reached a hand out every once in a while to attempt getting a hit on the blond, but it never landed. Sanji straightened up and looked over at Zoro, smiling down at his work. _Damn, he looks exhausted._

 

“Well! Looks like we got to school early… again. I’m gonna have a smoke.” Zoro looked up at the blond quizzically. He didn’t look at all surprised, which didn’t shock Sanji. He knew his voice was a bit raspy now thanks to his habit, you’d have to be pretty dumb not to notice that much.

 

“You shouldn’t… smoke… in school…” Zoro lectured the blond in between gasping breaths.

 

“Yeah, yeah. Thanks for the heads up mom.” Sanji murmured around the fresh stick in his mouth. He pulled out his lighter and flicked it open, hovering a hand over the flame as he set the end of the cigarette ablaze. He inhaled the smoke and let it fill up his lungs before blowing it back out into the crisp, morning air. Sanji looked back over at Zoro and chuckled, Zoro just rolled his eyes and knocked the dirt off his pants. A lot of people found it weird that he could laugh directly after smoking without coughing up a lung. Sanji didn’t know how he did it either. Probably because he’d been smoking practically his whole life, since he was at least twelve.

 

The two stood silently for a few minutes while Sanji smoked. Sanji had half expected Zoro to make a move to attack him again during the moment of silence, but when nothing came, he allowed himself to relax and lean against the stone wall that sat outside the school, separating it from all the trees. Sanji took the moment to look around and take in the scenery.

 

Sabaody High was situated on top of a hill. Not a very steep hill, but a hill none the less. It was almost on the outside of town and right next to Rouge Park, so there were plenty of trees and small wildlife that you didn’t see deeper into the city. The road that led up to it was wound around the hill multiple times and the Sanji could almost see his apartment from where he stood. Not much of it, just some of the roof really, but it was there. He’d gotten really lucky with finding an apartment AND a school so close to each other for so cheap. He was also lucky that he’d transferred at the beginning of the second semester.

 

It was late February out, it was still a bit chilly but there was nothing he could do about it. Sanji rubbed the palms of his hands together as he let his smoke warm him up from the inside out. He took another drag of said cigarette, closing his eyes and enjoying the silence that was so comfortable between the two of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time, on Okonomi-Yaki!  
> Sanji: Day two huh? Well, maybe I won't get in a fight this time. Although, it's not even that bad a start to the morning for me. Hmmm? New food stand? Nah, I'm good, you guys can go without me, half fun though, I heard the owner's a real treat!


	5. Day 2

_*BRRRRRRRRRRR*_

 

Sanji threw the butt of his cigarette on the ground, stomping it out with his shoe. He fixed the bangs that hung loosely in front of his left eye, double checking his ponytail to make sure it was in good condition after the run this morning. He shrugged his shoulder to move the strap of his bag into a more comfortable position. Sanji looked around him to see that Zoro had already started heading inside… through the wrong door. Sanji had only been to this school for one day but he could already tell the difference between the gym door and the front door. _I’ve helped him enough today, he can find his own way into this shitty school…_

 

Sanji sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he argued with himself in his mind. _I’ve helped him enough…_ He’s like a lost puppy trying to find his home. An angry, green, lost puppy. _I’ve helped him enough…_ You could probably draw the guy a map of the school and he would still get lost _I’ve-_ LOST LITTLE MOSSHEAD PUPPY DOG. _Damnit!_

 

“Mosshead! Class is THIS way!” Sanji yelled in Zoro’s direction, waving his hands towards the front door. Zoro turned away from the gym and started heading in the direction of the front door, acting as if nothing had happened. He stopped at the front door and nodded in Sanji’s direction, raising one of his sharp eyebrows. Sanji walked over with his hands in his pockets and went about leading the way to their homeroom.

 

“This isn’t going to become a regular thing…” Zoro mumbled behind the blond as he followed behind.

 

“Couldn’t agree more Mosshead. Left.” Zoro growled but obeyed, following Sanji until they reached their homeroom. He entered the classroom and almost fell backwards when a certain monkey jumped on top of him, wrapping his long, rubbery limbs around him in a snake-like hug.

 

“SANJI! Can I try some of your food today?! PLE~ASE?!?!” Luffy gave Sanji an award winning grin that _almost_ got to the blond.

 

“No way! I saw the way you were yesterday! Food is meant to be savoured and you’re just a damn vacuum!” Sanji attempted to shove away the lanky kid in his arms, his grip only tightened on the blond.

 

“But you shared with ZORO!” Luffy pouted, his lowering lip sticking out and he pushed his thickly framed glasses out of his way. Now that Sanji got a good look at them, he could see they were taped up in multiple spots.

 

“ _Zoro_ got lost on his way to pack a lunch yesterday and wasn’t able to bring anything. _You_ had _plenty_ , and I’m sure you have even more today!”

 

“Oi, shut up! I did _not_ get lost! I just didn’t have time to pack anything Shit-Cook!” Sanji whirled around to look at Zoro, practically giving himself whip lash. His body still stuck in Luffy’s death grip, he swung one of his free legs around, aiming for the green-haired moron’s head. He missed and ended up just flailing around miserably. Zoro huffed a short laugh and pushed past the two, making for his desk.

 

“Maybe next time, _Shit_ -Cook!” Sanji growled angrily as he glared red hot daggers in Zoro’s direction.

 

“Oh yeah! Zoro! Before you sit down, I wanna ask you something!” Luffy shouted reaching an arm out to grab at Zoro’s collar, halting him mid-step. Zoro turned his head slightly and cocked an eyebrow.

 

“There’s this new food stand that’s opening up tonight, it looks like one of the ones I see in all your Japanese books with the seats around the bar and everything! It looks just like ‘Takoyaki 8’ that Keimi works at! It’s only a ten minute walk from the school, we should go for dinner tonight!” A small bit of drool escaped from the corner of Luffy’s mouth as he mentioned the word food. _This kid really likes to eat, huh? How the fuck is he so scrawny?!_

 

“Just like the ones in my Japanese books..? Hey! You’ve been going through my stuff again you little rat! But I guess I could stand to check out more of the culture, and if somebody’d bringing it here, that’s perfect for me.” Zoro mused as he tried to turn back to his desk, but Luffy’s grip held strong as the wild boy continued the conversation.

 

“YEAH! Everybody else is going too! Me, Usopp, Nami, Chopper, OH! I almost forgot, SANJI! You should come with us too! I don’t know what kind of food they sell yet but I’m sure it’ll be great! I hope they sell lots and lots of MEAT!”

 

“Gah- That’s okay Luffy. I gotta work today so unfortunately there’s no way you’re convincing me to go. And if you’re talking about the one I think you are, I’m pretty sure it’s not a meat stand.” Sanji smiled shakily. Luffy frowned and seemingly scanned the blond, to check for any signs of lies.

 

“Mmm… Okay, but you _have_ to come with us next time!”

 

“We’ll see, okay?”

 

“No! You _have_ to come with us!” Luffy pouted.

 

“I said ‘we’ll see’ damnit!” Sanji kicked at the teenager wrapped so tightly around his body and finally managed to push him off.

 

“Oh, is Sanji not coming?”

 

“Oh Nami~! My beautiful swan I do apologize but unfortunately I can’t make it this evening! Maybe we could go out together for dinner sometime just the two of us to make up for it~?” Sanji swooned as the orange-haired beauty entered the classroom, Usopp trailing behind her.

 

“Sorry Sanji, but it looks like we’ll have to put that on hold. Luffy’s taking me out to the health food restaurant across from the gym. Right Luffy?” Nami gave Luffy a beautiful smile that, if Sanji could guess, said something like ‘You better say yes or I’m gonna kick your ass’.

 

“Awwww! But I don’t WANNA go to a _healthy_ res- OW!” Luffy shut his mouth when Nami punched him hard in the back of the head, leaving a welt the size of a baseball.

 

“Okay Class, I think that’s enough rowdiness for so early in the morning.” Mr.Shanks announced, walking into the classroom late. Everybody found their seats and sat down, giving him their attention and awaiting the morning announcements. He looked tired. Really tired. His eyes were bloodshot and he had a huge coffee in his one hand, his hair looked extremely out of place as well. Usopp raised his hand and Shanks nodded to him.

 

“Sir, are you hung over?”

 

“Very good question Usopp. Yes. Yes I am.”

 

“You do realize it’s a Wednesday sir?”

 

“Yes, I’m feeling that right now. Now if you could keep your big nose out of my professional business-“

 

“Having drinking parties every night until early in the morning is ‘professional business’?”

 

“Exactly, now do your homework while I try and play this off.” Shanks groaned. Perona raised her hand and Shanks sighed dramatically, pointing to her with his coffee-cradling hand and raising his eyebrows.

 

“Aren’t you supposed to read us this morning’s announcements sir?” Perona batted her thick black eyelashes. Sanji turned his head slightly to see her leaning back so she could peer around him and stare at the Mosshead.

 

“Yes, yes I am. But as you can see, miss ‘I can’t wear anything but pink and black ruffles’, I am too hung over to give a damn right now.”

 

“And you’re going to do it again tonight, aren’t you?” Usopp chimed in again.

 

“You betcha!” Shanks smiled the first smile Sanji had seen him make that morning. It reminded him somewhat of Luffy’s smile. Wide and toothy, taking up half his face and shining with bright, pearly teeth. He sat down in his desk and downed what seemed to be half his coffee before he got to typing at his computer, sticking on a pair of reading glasses and squinting at the screen.

 

Sanji leaned over to Zoro and tapped him on the shoulder lightly. Zoro turned his head and gave a short grunt of acknowledgment.

 

“Oi, what happened to his arm?” Sanji whispered. Zoro glanced up at his teacher, like he’d forgotten that the man was missing an entire arm.

 

“Oh yeah, you don’t know, do ya Curly-brow? Shanks, Luffy’s uncle, took him and his brothers boating out on the ocean one day when he was really young and Luffy fell off the boat. Apparently he hit his nose and got some blood in the water, attracted this huge-ass shark that came and tried to nab him. Shanks jumped in and saved him but the shark got his arm. They were lucky that was all that happened but Luffy’s been too traumatized to go swimming ever since.” Zoro kept his voice hushed so Luffy couldn’t hear him. Sanji’s eyes practically bugged out of his head as he listened to the story. _A SHARK?! Holy SHIT._ Sanji almost wanted to give Luffy a pat on the back or something but it just seemed pointless. He’d only been there for a day so it’s not as if he were really in a position to be consoling people and giving them the whole “Everything will be okay” bullshit. That and it was years ago, he wouldn’t want it being brought up again, poor guy already had to see it every day. _He probably thinks it’s his fault…_

 

“Sir! I can read the announcements if you would like!” The kid at the front of the class with pink hair and glasses interrupted Sanji’s thoughts.

 

“Sure Coby, go right on ahead.” Shanks continued to work at his computer, taking his hand away from his work only for a moment to wave dismissively. ‘Coby’ stood up and walked to the front of the classroom, picking the paper with the announcements off Shanks’ desk.

 

“Good morning everybody, today’s announcements are…” Sanji zoned out and looked around the class, picking up bits and pieces of what Coby was saying. He tried to remember the names of all the students that sat there, he probably didn’t have to, but he would feel rude if he didn’t know. _Now let’s see…_

 

Coby, the kid reading the announcements, sat at the front to the right of the weird-ass blond kid with the double chin, Helmeppo. On the right of Coby sat the lovely Vivi, one of Nami’s close girlfriends. Next to her sat her boyfriend Kohza. Next to Kohza sat the lovely Kaya. In the second row we started with Chopper, Nami, the star of the classroom, sitting to the right of him. Then we had Penguin, the only reason Sanji remembered his name was because it was the weirdest one he’d heard in the whole class. _Probably a nickname._ Then the lovely ladies Bonney and Keimi~. Behind Chopper was Usopp, next to him and in front of Sanji was Luffy. Next to Luffy sat Law, the guy who was apparently even more of beautiful mind than Chopper when it came to medicine as he was currently acting in place of the school nurse. Next to Law sat Kidd, who’s face would practically turn as red as his hair whenever Law would so much as look at him. _Something going on there…_ Next to Kidd sat Killer, another guy with a weird nickname, and he was wearing the same hockey mask he wore yesterday. Sanji was surprised by the lack of rules against that sorta shit at this school but he guessed that he probably had some sort of horrific burn or scarring on his face that made him an exception. Finally, in the last and very back row, it started with Zoro. Next to Zoro was Sanji and beside Sanji was Perona. Her pink pigtails flowed down her shoulder and framed her face perfectly, which was only covered in SLIGHTLY too much eyeliner. Next to her were two guys named Johnny and Yosaku that apparently Zoro knew well considering he’d heard them calling him ‘big bro’ once or twice in the short time he’s been here.

 

“…and swim team auditions will begin on Monday of next week. If anybody is interested, they should contact Fukaboshi, captain of the swim team. That will be all.”

 

_*BRRRRRRRRRRR*_

 

Sanji nodded to the group as he got out of his seat, pushing it in behind him. First class he had in the day was cooking with Ivankov. He’d practiced cooking with Zeff at the restaurant since he’d been adopted by him. You’d think that he felt like he trained enough, but Sanji knew that when it came to cooking, there was always more to learn. Every city in every country of the world seemed to have their own specialty dish that they cook, and until Sanji learned every technique to create every meal, then he would never be able to call himself a master chef. Ivankov had apparently been all over the world and seen almost everything in the way of cooking, Sanji felt lucky to be in his class… kind of.

 

“Oh~! So you came back Candy-boy~! I’m surprised, good for you.” Sanji swallowed thickly as he entered the classroom. Glancing at his teacher but trying not to make eye contact. Ivankov’s makeup was caked on just as thickly today as it was yesterday. Purple lip stick and thick mascara sat on his face. Sanji was once again surprised that the school let somebody get away with that.

 

Sanji took his place at the one of the cooking stations, standing next to Keimi. Pretty green locks of hair sat at her shoulders and starfish earrings dangled from her ears. The other day, Keimi had told Sanji that she wanted to be a designer when she got out of high school. She apparently works at her friend’s Takoyaki stand in the city, ‘Takoyaki 8’. One of the few Japanese food stands that existed in Toronto. Sanji was looking forward to visiting in his spare time, especially if she would be there to serve him.

 

“Good morning Sanji, how are you doing today?” Keimi smiled sweetly at Sanji as he placed his school bag out of the way of the kitchen.

 

“Oh Keimi I am doing absolutely wonderful and you are so thoughtful for asking~! How are you doing today my sweet?” Sanji swooned.

 

“I’m fantastic. Did you hear about that new food stand that’s opening not too far from here? I don’t work tonight so I was thinking of going and checking it out. Scope out the competition, you know?” Keimi winked and Sanji nodded as he turned to the board, looking over today’s recipe.

 

“I’m sure they wouldn’t purposefully take away your business. But I do hope they do well here…”

 

“Oh! I’d never thought that they might be doing it on _purpose!_ I’ll really have to up my game…”

 

“Like I just said my love, I am sure that is not their intention.” Sanji cleared his throat nervously as he thought over how he would make today’s recipe. Yesterday, Ivankov had given the class something to cook but not the recipe for it. They had to create their own version of it from memory. It was a simple dish, not even a dish really, it was just chocolate chip cookies. Today it was a bit more complicated, but not by much. Sanji still felt confident.

 

Today they were making pie, which gave Sanji a lot to work with considering how many different kinds of pie there were. He guessed that most of the class would be making something simple like apple pie. Not that that was a bad thing, apple pie could be amazing if made right, but it was playing it too safe in Sanji’s mind. Of course, the second most popular would be blueberry, blackberry and cherry pie. What most of the students probably didn’t know was that ‘pie’ was a very loose term. ‘Pie’ included tarts, flans, meat pies, and quiche, along with many other different variations from across the world.

 

Sanji decided on making Quiche Lorraine. A simple quiche with eggs, light cream, bacon, cheese, and a crust. He didn’t want to get too fancy and overshadow all the other students that were also trying hard. He substituted in Canadian back bacon instead of the regular bacon from his recipe. Ivankov seemed impressed with it, complimenting him on his use of the bacon, so Sanji was pleased.

 

His class after that was business. _That_ went by at a slow crawl, time seemingly slowing down to bore him out of his mind. Most of the class was spent writing notes. There were only so many classes left when he transferred to the school, so he didn’t really have much of a choice. It was either Business with Ms.Kalifa or Drama with Bon Kurei. Business would help him out more in the long run anyway, and Sanji had to admit, she was a very beautiful teacher. Strawberry blonde hair framed her pale face and she smelled of soap. She was wearing a business skirt with a red button-up sweater on top, she also had on a pair of high heel boots and her hair was done up in a professional bun.

 

Sanji frowned as he remembered greeting her yesterday for the first time. He held out his hand for a shake and she coldly replied with _‘That’s sexual harassment’_ as she adjusted her glasses. Sanji got flustered, trying to explain himself and apologize when another student had chimed him and told him not to worry about it and that she said the same damn thing every day.

 

_“She’s not actually going to file that as a sexual harassment complaint… is she?”_

_“Oh she is. The school has just stopped responding to it. It’s hard to explain how offering her a handshake is sexual harassment, so just don’t worry about it dude.” One of the other boys from the class raised one of his arms in question._

_“That’s sexual harassment.”_

_“No it’s not Kalifa! He’s asking you a damn question!” Her long-nosed student teacher, Kaku, scolded. Kaku raised the rim of his ball cap out of his face with his thumb, glaring at her. The man kind of reminded him of Usopp, except his nose was more… square. His hair was also orange, not black like Usopp’s. Unlike his professional partner, Kaku was a lot more relaxed looking. Sporting a pair of jeans with an orange and blue high-collard sweater on top._

 

Sanji chewed on the end of his pencil as Ms.Kalifa explained the importance of keeping a spreadsheet of all your finances or something like that, he didn’t have to pay attention much since he’d already been doing that. Shit, he really wished he could smoke in school, it would’ve made class go by a lot easier. He was also starting to get nervous about whether or not things would go well tonight and had been craving since that morning. _If this keeps up, I might have to find someplace to smoke at lunch._

 

_*BRRRRRRRRRRR*_

 

“Okay people, don’t forget to do the homework I’ve assigned you and I will see you tomorrow.” The students of the class nodded and all filed out the door, some running to make it to the cafeteria before the line got too long. Sanji was grateful that he would never need to worry about that because he always made his own lunches. The only thing he needed to worry about was the line for the microwave. That was relatively short though. _Maybe if I’m fast enough I can even get out of the school and hide out somewhere before that Luffy kid can find me. Okay, all I need to do is heat up my soup and get outta the school…_

 

“SANJIIIII!!!!”

 

_Or not._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time, on Okonomi-Yaki!  
> Sanji: Why am I here? Why do you guys give a shit? My business is my own so I don't see why I should tell you. Ah, well... I guess it's because... I like... the food? Oh my~! Moss for brains has a sister~? I'd love to meet her~!


	6. Why am I here?

“L-Luffy! Get off me, I’ll eat lunch with you, okay?! I’ll eat lunch with you every damn day as long as you STOP HUGGING ME!” Sanji shoved at the raven-haired boy who’d all but strangled him the second he spotted him heating up his food at the school’s microwave, Luffy smiled brightly and finally pulled off when Sanji threatened him with the one foot he was able to free. Luffy grabbed him by his wrist and dragged him to the homeroom, laughing the whole way while Sanji struggled in his grip. The other students wandering the hallways seemed to almost jump out of Luffy’s way. _I guess they would all be used to Luffy running around like this every day._

 

Sanji blew kisses at the beautiful ladies that he and the monkey boy passed on their way to the home room. Shouting back compliments and giving them his biggest ‘lady-killer’ smile he could muster. It wasn’t working so well. It never did. Then again, it’s hard to flirt when you’ve got a rug rat on your arm. But he didn’t mind that women didn’t want to go out with him. That’s not why he complimented them anyway, far from it.

 

“Hey guys! I brought Sanji with me again!” Luffy announced happily as they burst into the homeroom. Zoro was in the same spot, just staring out the window. Sanji noticed though that he had brought food this time. A couple of handmade rice balls sat on his desk next to a can of mountain dew.

 

Sanji took his seat next to Zoro and pulled out his own lunch. He’d had the same damn thing for days now and he really wasn’t looking forward to eating it, but he didn’t really have a choice. He sighed and pulled out his spiced rice and freshly microwaved stew, glaring at it before digging in his spoon.

 

“So! Luffy, when are we going to go for dinner? I’m really excited to try out this new place you were telling us all about.” Chopper asked from his spot sitting on Usopp’s desk.

 

“Seven. That okay with everybody?” Luffy asked as he looked around the group. Everybody either smiled or nodded. Zoro just gave a thumbs up and grabbed one of his rice balls, his eyes never leaving the window. Zoro took a large bite of it and smiled to himself, closing his eyes and obviously enjoying his meal.

 

“SANJI! You should share your food with me!” Luffy whined, leaning over and reaching a hand out to grab Sanji’s cup of stew. Sanji slapped his hand away and Luffy recoiled with a yelp, rubbing his hand and blowing at the spot where Sanji hit him. _It’s my own damn food and even if I don’t really WANT to eat it, it’s not like I’m going to give in to your damn whims you greedy pig._

 

“Eat your own damn food you bastard! Your school bag is practically bursting with how much you have packed in there!”

 

“Wow Sanji, I’m impressed. You’ve only been here a day and you’re already starting to adapt to Luffy’s ways.” Usopp rested his elbow on the back of his chair as he turned his head to look at Sanji.

 

“Yeah well, it’s not hard to get used to telling this guy to _fuck off_!” Sanji stressed his last two words as he shoved Luffy away from his food again.

 

“So, Sanji, where are you from? I mean, I’m pretty sure I can guess from the accent.” Nami sat at a chair situated in between Usopp and Luffy’s desk, leaning forward and waiting for the blonds answer.

 

“The country of love my dear~! I am from France.” Zoro huffed a laugh and Sanji turned to glare at him, he raised one of his fists and waved it in his direction.

 

“You got something you want to say Mosshead?!”

 

“Nope.” Zoro dismissed, his eyes not leaving his window. _What could be so damn interesting outside?_ Sanji continued to glare at Zoro, but getting no response, he turned back to his beautiful Nami.

 

“Why’d you move here? Did you come here with your family? Did your dad get a job over here or something? Come on, spill it cause I don’t get it, I mean, why would a total ‘ladies man’ like you want to leave the ‘country of love’?” Nami continued her questions and everybody turned their heads to look at the blond, awaiting his answer. Zoro, however, didn’t look the least bit interested.

 

“Th-That’s a lot of questions my sweet~.” Sanji laughed nervously and looked around at the expectant faces surrounding him. There should be absolutely no reason that he shouldn’t be able to answer that, at least not in their view. He couldn’t be angry at Nami, she didn’t know what she was asking but… but he’d only known them for a damn day, he could just tell them that he wasn’t ready to tell them yet. That would be a lie though, he felt more comfortable around them than he’s felt around anybody for a while.

 

“Eh… erm… well- I really like your... uh- food.”

 

“You like the… food?” Usopp raised an eyebrow and stared at the blond boy.

 

“Yup, always wanted to try your famous maple syrup and pancakes. So I picked up and moved here.” Sanji said slightly sarcastically.

 

“You went through all the trouble of transferring to another school, another country… for syrup? Ha, got sick of eating snails and crepes all day long? I got ya, our food is pretty amazing after all. I once travelled all the way to BC on foot just so I could try some of their world famous salmon!”

 

“Really?!” Chopper piped in happily, his eyes were huge with excitement and curiosity and his knuckles were turning white with how hard he was gripping the edge of the desk he was sitting on.

 

“Oh yeah, totally. It took me nearly a month but it was worth it when I got there and met up with one of my distant relatives, Gregory Vegter, who happened to own the most famous restaurant in all of BC! He was having some trouble though, sadly, a new place had just opened up across the way and was taking away all of his business so do you know what I did?”

 

“What?!” Chopper smiled widely from ear to ear, short brown hair falling loosely in front of his face.

 

“Why I rolled up my sleeves and got to cooking the best salmon in the whole damn country! People came from all across the world just to try them! Showed Gregory how to make it himself before I walked all the way home again!”

 

“Wow Usopp! You’re amazing!” Luffy giggled happily as he flung his feet back and forth on his chair. Sanji leaned over so he was close enough to Zoro to whisper without having to worry too much of being heard by the others in the group.

 

“Do they actually believe this crap?”

 

“Oh yeah, they eat It up. They’re pretty easily fooled and Usopp _loves_ it. So, sometimes, you gotta reign him in, like _this!_ ” Zoro punched Usopp in the back of the head, affectively silencing him.

 

“Quit lying to them asshole!”

 

“ _WHAT?!_ Usopp, you were lying?! You can’t lie to the captain!” Luffy shouted and jumped to tackle Usopp out of his chair, the big-nosed teen jumping out of the way and running in circles around the classroom as the self-appointed ‘captain’ chased him.

 

“Come back here Usopp! You’re gonna get it for lying!” _Well at least I can eat my lunch while he’s distracted with chasing him around._

 

_*BRRRRRRRRRRR*_

 

Sanji packed away his thermos and the empty Tupperware container that used to hold the spiced rice.

 

“Guess I gotta come up with a better excuse as to why I came here… At least something better than ‘I like the food’.” Sanji grumbled to himself as he walked down the hallway to his next classroom. Math. Yay. And he had it with the rest of the group too. He could only hope that they would be too engrossed in their homework to continue their conversation from lunch. _What_ am _I gonna tell them?_

 

They would eventually find out that he lives on his own, so there’s no point in telling them that he came here with his family. He could say that he came here for the school, Sabaody High was one of the most prestigious school’s in Toronto. Then again, the education in Europe always tended to be higher quality, it wouldn’t be worth it to go through all the trouble of transferring to a different country just to be able to say you went to a certain high school. Maybe he came to visit some family in the area and they convinced him to stay? _That’s a bit of a long shot…_ Maybe he could tell them that he just loved Canadian culture? Well that seemed to make the most sense out of all other things.

 

Sanji groaned as he entered his math classroom, the class wasn’t required to become a chef, but it was always nice to have a few academic courses under your belt. Not like he had many choices left anyway. Nami, Usopp, and Chopper were also in the class. Though he guessed the main reason they all took it was so they could have a class together which ended up looking good on a resume.

 

“Oi, Sanji. Do you know how to do question twelve?” Usopp whispered to the blond, leaning over his chair and cupping a hand over his mouth.

 

“Huh? Oh, yeah. I already learned most of this back home.” Sanji turned his paper so Usopp could see what was written on it and used the tip of his pencil to point out the more important parts.

 

“If you’ve already learned this, why did you take this class?” Nami whispered, leaning back in her seat.

 

“Nami my swan, you are quite beautiful but you ask a lot of questions.” Sanji laughed as he smiled at her and she smiled back innocently. He could tell though that she wouldn’t back down from her constant inquiries so he sighed before answering.

 

“There weren’t many classes left and it was either this or art, and art doesn’t help me much.” Nami held up her hands in false surrender and nodded, turning back to her own work. Sanji spent the rest of class helping Nami and Usopp with whatever they didn’t understand. Chopper didn’t need much, if any, help considering how smart he was for a thirteen, year old. The language classrooms were close to the math classrooms, so Sanji was there before the second bell rang. The Mosshead wasn’t there yet and Sanji took his seat in front of his, half tempted to sit down in Zoro’s chair just to piss him off. Zoro arrived soon after, seemingly permanent scowl still etched into his face. Sanji tried to imagine him smiling. It wasn’t a pretty site and Sanji quickly erased it from his mind.

 

Sanji turned around to see Zoro putting on his glasses and pulling out his textbook. He had received all his textbooks for his classes yesterday. He mostly got the really shitty ones that nobody else wanted. The ones with the broken spines, tattered and torn with use. Mustaches and dicks drawn on the faces of almost every person in the book and the answers to all the multiple choice questions were already circled. Most likely false answers mixed in with true ones just to fuck with the next guy that got that book. The books with the ripped up corners, gone soft and disintegrated from being thrown around in bedrooms, backpacks and lockers and all the information that was of practically no use was highlighted. There was also always that one book that was different from the rest. The old book with a cover in sepia instead of the bright blues, greens, and reds that they use in printing now. There was only ever one or two of them, always slightly smaller than the new ones, just in case a class was overstocked and they didn’t have enough textbooks for everybody. They usually had practically the same information, it was just a LOT harder to find.

 

Sanji thumbed through his old Japanese textbook, noticing how it stopped speaking in English near the end and going completely into Japanese. At least he could be sure that he should be learning a lot in his class. He recognized much of the symbols, they were a bit hard to put into words though. Sanji took out his pencil and paper when he saw the teacher beginning to write notes up on the board and copied them down, making sure to keep them as organized as possible for when he went over them at home.

 

_*BRRRRRRRRRRR*_

 

Sanji was so excited when the bell rang that he practically jumped out of his seat. He would have ran down the halls if he wasn’t afraid of getting stopped by a damned teacher and lectured about hall safety. When he got to the final stretch of the last hallway leading to the front door, he said ‘ _fuck it!’_ and started running. He burst through the front doors, breathing in the fresh, cool air around him. He practically drank it in as he stood there. His hair ruffled softly by the breeze and he smiled gently. He looked around him at the softly swaying thinner trees that decorated the front lawn of the school. It was still too close to winter for the cherry blossom trees to start turning their light shade of baby pink.

 

It was one of the things he actually liked about the school. It was beautiful. It was a huge school too. Built high, three stories. The building was older looking. Built with red bricks and white trim, vines creeping up the sides in some areas. The roof was flat and a small building sat on the top, just big enough for about three people to fit in. Sanji was sure that it wasn’t really a building, more of just the entrance to the roof. It would probably be a good spot to go and smoke, as long as he could find the way there. _Oh fuck, right, I can smoke now!_

 

Sanji exited the school grounds and pulled the pack out of his pocket. He removed one of the cigarettes and stuck it in his mouth, setting it ablaze with his lighter. He sucked on the stick and breathed in deeply. His lungs burned in the best sort of way, it was familiar and he welcomed it with open arms. He remembered the first time Zeff caught him smoking. He expected to get chewed out, he expected the old man to kick him right in the side of the head. But he didn’t. He sat on the sidewalk next to the restaurant, taking a slow drag from his cigarette when the old man walked out the door. They had been closing up and Sanji thought he had more time before Zeff would be coming outside to drive the both of them home. It had been a stressful day at work and he really needed a smoke. A customer had threatened to have the restaurant shut down and made a huge scene in front of all the customers. There had been no reason for him to be so mad, he was just an asshole.

 

Sanji was half way through his smoke when Zeff had walked out, starring down at him with that permanent scowl still plastered to his face. Sanji had begun to stutter as he tried to explain himself. He knew better than to lie or give bullshit excuses. Zeff always saw through them. Zeff didn’t seem angry though. He just looked at the blond before opening his mouth. _“I’m not gonna tell you it’ll kill ya cause ya knew that when ya picked it up. But it’ll ruin your sense of taste.”_ Zeff mussed Sanji’s hair and jumped into their beat up old car, waving him in for the ride home. Sanji tried not to smoke too much around the old man after that, Zeff never complained when he did, but Sanji knew he would worry.

 

Sanji kicked at a rock near his shoe before he started on his way home. He noticed that, in the time he had taken getting lost in his own thoughts, Zoro had caught up to him. He wasn’t looking for him of course, but it’s hard not to spot him in a crowd with that bright, green hair. Sanji watched him out of the corner of his eye as he continued forward. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and frowned. Most likely checking directions before he remembered the thing was dead. Sanji turned away, not wanting to see Zoro’s vein attempts to find his way. If the Mosshead followed him, he followed him. Sanji wasn’t gonna stop him, but he wasn’t gonna help him again either. Nope. Not gonna do it.

 

Zoro turned left towards downtown and Sanji slapped the palm of his hand to his face.

 

“JUST follow me already you dumbass!”

 

Zoro whipped around and his scowl deepened. He looked away from the blond and furrowed his brows as he considered his options. He closed his eyes, breathing in deeply and turning back to Sanji. He walked proudly and stopped right behind the cook, refusing to look him in the eye. Sanji noticed that Zoro had taken off his glasses again and looked at him questioningly.

 

“Why do you keep taking off your glasses when class gets out? I’m guessing you can’t see shit without them. Maybe that’s why you keep getting lost.”

 

“I can see fine dart brow! Probably better than you can with that mop of hair in front of your face.” Sanji grimaced and pulled at a few of the longer strands hanging in front of his face.

 

“Heh, you’re just jealous that I look like a Greek god whilst you haven’t even showered in so long that you’ve started growing mold.”

 

“Fuck, can we just go, I’d _love_ to stay and fight with you and tell you _everything_ that’s wrong with that sentence, but Kuina is gonna kill me if I’m late.” Sanji rolled his eyes and turned in the direction of his house.

 

“Does the little plant brain have a curfew? How cute.” Sanji thought back to yesterday when he had seen Zoro yelling at the girl who dropped him off an hour before class. She had reminded him of the police officer that was living with Zeff. She was a family friend and the old man needed somebody to look after him while Sanji was gone. Tashigi was her name. She had glasses, kinda like Zoro’s, thin rimmed and simple, but pink.

 

Sanji took another drag of his smoke before nodding his head in the direction of their apartments. Zoro followed quietly behind him. Sanji attempted to continue their conversation out of boredom.

 

“So, how does a Mosshead such as yourself share the same genes as that lovely lady you call sister?”

 

“We don’t. m’ adopted, kinda.” Zoro mumbled so softly that Sanji almost didn’t hear.

 

“Oh? Well then I guess it’s okay if I try and make a move on her?” Sanji attempted to rile up the sulky looking teenager.

 

“Okay, A. You’re not her type, like, at all. B. Even if you were, she’s still my sister, I wouldn’t let her make a bad decision like you. And C. Why does it matter if we’re actually related or not?”

 

“A. I’m everybody’s type. B. You’re insults wound me DEEPLY. And C. I wouldn’t want to make a move on somebody that shares the same gene pool as you, can’t risk having kids with green hair.” Sanji felt his heart tug a little at the direction this conversation was taking. So the Mosshead was also adopted, ‘ _kinda.’_ _What the fuck did he mean by that?_ He also realized how wrong it already felt to even talk about making a move on Zoro’s sister. You don’t fuck your friend’s siblings, that and Sanji would never be able to hang out with Zoro after making a fool out of himself in front of the guys sister… did that make Zoro his friend? Sanji shuddered a little at the thought.

 

Sanji realized he’d made it to the apartment buildings and turned to Zoro, bowing sarcastically and waving at the buildings.

 

“Behold! Your shitty ass house! Now if you’ll excuse me, I gotta go.” Sanji made to leave the complex and Zoro turned to look curiously at him.

 

“But I thought you lived right there.” Zoro thumbed towards Sanji’s apartment and the blond nodded. “Then where are you going?”

 

“Well, to work, where did you think shithead? Just needed to make sure nobody picked your lost ass off the street.” Zoro scowled. Sanji waved his hand in the air as he walked away, tugging his bag further up his shoulder and smirking over his shoulder. “See you at seven.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time, on Okonomi-Yaki!  
> Zoro: Fuck off Curly-que, it's my turn again! God damnit Luffy, I'm not putting you on my shoulders! Isn't it enough I'm taking you to this damn restaurant of yours? Wait, what is HE doing here?! Well, I guess I can't complain, he's not too bad of a cook.


	7. The Stand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I want to apologize a head of time but I'm looking back on the chapters and there are some things that don't really make sense. I'm editing them and re-posting them. It's not a huge difference. I changed the year from 2015 to 2010. Chopper is 13 instead of 15. I also added a few tidbits of info here and there so that things ran more smoothly. I know that's not fair and that I should have got that all dealt with earlier and I am so sorry! I'll be re-posting this message as well with my next chapter so that you know what to expect. It's just that I realized that as I was writing I wrote some things that contradicted each other and I had to fix it. Once again I am so sorry!

“GAH! Zoro! Higher, higher! Jus- let me on your shoulders!” Luffy squirmed against Zoro’s back. Zoro had finally given in to giving the boy a piggy-back ride, he was sure as hell not letting him onto his shoulders.

 

“Why do you need to go _higher_? There’s nothing to see! We’re walking in downtown towards that stupid stand you wanted to visit, the most you’re going to see sitting on my shoulders is more fucking STREET!” Luffy laughed happily on Zoro back and began swinging his legs. Nami was walking next to Zoro while Usopp and Chopper walked behind.

 

“Awww! No fair! Luffy’s just as old as you guys and he gets a ride! Why can’t I?” Chopper whined. Zoro wasn’t one to deny the kid and was just about to set Luffy down when he heard the boy yelp. He turned around to see Usopp ducking between Chopper’s legs and hoisting him up onto his shoulders. Chopper giggled happily, the sound was so carefree and joyful sounding that it brought a small smile to his face.

 

“SEE Zoro?! Chopper gets to go on Usopp’s shoulders!”

 

“Yeah, well, Chopper is much smaller and lighter than you.”

 

“It’s not like you can’t handle it Zoro, you’re plenty strong enough to put Luffy on your shoulders.” Nami smirked as she scrolled through texts on her phone.

 

“Oh shut up Nami! You’re just encouraging him to keep asking!” Zoro scowled at the orange haired girl, who just smiled and wiggled her fingers, waving playfully.

 

“Oooohhh! Zoro look! There’s that ice cream shop I really like! We should go there!”

 

“Luffy, seriously?! We’re going to restaurant for dinner at this very fucking moment! Do you even have an idea of how expensive you are to feed?!”

 

“That’s what Dadan used to say before I moved out! Thank fuck we hunted a lot!” Luffy laughed.

 

“Oh yeah, you recently moved out with your brothers, right? What were their names..? I know one of them was Ace. The other was…” Nami pressed a finger to her head as she tried to think of the name of Luffy’s second brother.

 

“SABO! They already graduated and Dadan’s been watching over us for so long that we thought it was about time to get out of her hair.” Zoro remembers visiting Luffy and his brothers often enough in middle school. Ace and Luffy looked somewhat similar but Sabo didn’t look like either of them. Zoro had later found out that Dadan wasn’t actually their mother or anything like that and the three weren’t related by blood. But they were brothers none the less. Zoro understood, it was the same with him and Kuina after all.

 

Now that Zoro thought about it, the entire group was composed of messed up families. Nami never knew her parents and was adopted by a woman named Bell-mére along with her sister Nojiko. Much like Luffy and Zoro, she wasn’t actually related to her sibling. Bell-mére quit the army after she found the two on a missionary trip and started up a small farm on the outside of town.

 

Usopp’s dad left him when he was still a little kid, adventuring or some shit like that. His mom was pretty ill and died a little while after he left. Usopp hopped from house to house for a while until Nami invited him to live with her. They’re practically like siblings now.

 

Chopper’s parents gave him up pretty much the second he was born for some reason. Chopper was put up for adoption and this crazy old quack of a doctor took him in. Hiluluk was his name. Apparently he was the reason Chopper wanted to be a doctor. Ironically, he died of cancer a few years later and Chopper was left alone again. That was until one of Hiluluk’s colleagues adopted him. She was a witch if he’d ever met one. Worse than Nami. A fantastic doctor, old as hell but she refused to retire until her hands were too shaky to hold a scalpel, probably why she worked at the school now and trained Law.

 

“Damnit I wish Sanji would have come with us!” Luffy whined and leaned back, causing Zoro to sway slightly and the green haired man growled, tugging at Luffy’s legs to keep him steady on his back.

 

“I’m sure the swirly-browed idiot has better things to do than watch you eat and hope that you don’t take everything that’s on his plate.” Luffy giggled and wrapped his arms around Zoro’s neck, leaning forward again and pressing his whole body against Zoro’s. Luffy had always been a huggy, touchy kind of guy. Zoro was used to it by now.

 

“Okay, now turn left here and we should be at the… what was the name of the stand again..? Luffy do you remember?” Nami turned to look at the giggling boy and he shook his head, grin still spread ever wide across his face.

 

“All Blue.” Usopp said behind them as they rounded the corner. “You guys never look into this shit do you? It’s a traditional Japanese stand that serves Okonomi-yaki, a dinner pancake. It’s made with cabbage and seafood, sometimes it also includes pork and cheese.”

 

“WOW! Usopp you know so much about this!” Chopper beamed at the long-nosed boy.

 

“Well I _did_ live in Japan for thirty years!” Lie. Complete lie. Horrible lie. Zoro would have turned around and slapped him on the back of his head for it if it wasn’t for the fact that he was holding Chopper.

 

The group rounded the corner between two apartment complexes and immediately found the stand. Zoro was surprised at how professional it looked. It wasn’t large, but it wasn’t small either. It was surrounded by a cobblestone pavement area with patches of grass sprouting out from between the bricks. The stand had about five bar stool-like seats standing in front of the counter where the food was served. There was also a small window that looked like it would be used as a take-out window. There were small lanterns that lit the path to the stand. The light was dim and warm and the stand was bright in contrast to the dark sky. It felt oddly… homely. A few sets of tables and benches were scattered about on the grassy park behind the apartments. It wasn’t over the top with Japanese culture, there weren’t curtains and banners with pictures of lucky cats hanging all over the place like Zoro had expected. The stand had a roof complete with shingles and everything, smoke plumed from the small metal chimney that sat on top and Zoro could smell the food from where he stood.

 

“YOSH! Come ON Zoro! Let’s GO! Food, food, FOOD!” Luffy kicked at Zoro’s sides as if he were riding a horse and the green-haired man growled at the boy for the hundredth time that day. Zoro pushed Luffy higher up his body before continuing forward.

 

“Wow! It’s so pretty! The guy who owns this place really went all out.” Nami awed as she took her seat at the stand. Luffy hopped off Zoro’s back and Usopp bent down so that Chopper could hop off his shoulders. Luffy of course sat right in the middle. Chopper sat to the left of him and Zoro sat on the end next to Chopper. Nami sat on the other side of Luffy and Usopp sat at the other end. Zoro leaned on the palm of his hand as he watched the back of the chef as he worked. He had blond hair, tied up in a messy pony tail. He was tall and thin but far from weak looking. The chef would reach around every once in a while and Zoro could see lean muscles on the man’s arms from where his sleeves were hiked up. _Wait a minute…_

 

“Right on time, guessing that Zoro wasn’t leading the group then.” Zoro eyes practically bugged out of his head and he almost choked on his own spit as Sanji turned around and grinned smugly at the group. Luffy and Usopp had much of the same reaction while Chopper bounced happily in his seat. Nami grinned at the blond in a way that told Zoro she had already guessed that this was what they were going to find. Zoro attempted to reign in his shocked expression but it was too late. The smug chef was already grinning like the damn Cheshire cat and Zoro could feel his instincts to fight set in the pit of his stomach.

 

“SANJI!!” Luffy exclaimed happily. “ _This_ is why you couldn’t come with us?! You should have told me! THIS. IS. AMAZING!” Luffy’s smile couldn’t have grown any wider, his white teeth shined as he beamed at the blond chef. Zoro saw a slight blush tinge the chef’s cheeks and _yeah, Luffy has that effect on people._ Impressing Luffy almost felt like an accomplishment and seemed to make almost anybody feel just _warm_ and _happy._ Sanji cleared his throat into the hollow of his elbow as he brushed away his blush.

 

“Well… uh, yeah. Sorry, guess I could have mentioned it, wanted to surprise you guys, anyway! What can I get you assholes? Oh, and of course the lovely lady.” Sanji flashed a smile in Nami’s direction and Zoro scoffed at the way he swooned. Sanji glared menacingly at Zoro while he pulled out a menu from under his counter. He passed it to Nami and smiled gently. “This is a list of all the options you have of adding to your Okonomi-yaki, please take your time in deciding my lovely flower~.”

 

“Wow Sanji, how’d you swing this job?” Usopp questioned as he leaned over Nami’s shoulder and looked at the menu.

 

“I own the damn place. Well, kind of. My foster father is helping pay for my living arrangements from where he’s living in France, so I can put all my money towards the stand. I… ran into some money and was able to afford a down payment once I got here.” Zoro knew there was something off about that explanation. Bits and pieces of information was missing. Then again, Sanji had only known them or two days, Zoro couldn’t blame him for being hesitant to give up his life story. Zoro could see that Nami could also tell something was up, but she just smiled and continued to look at her menu. Sanji passed one to each member of the group, throwing Zoro’s at his head. Zoro grabbed it before it could make contact and glared at the chef.

 

“Mmmmmm… I. Want. Everything!” Luffy shouted as he slammed the menu down on the counter. Sanji chuckled and put his hands on his hips.

 

“How about I choose for you, there’s a lot to pick from there and I’d hate for your tiny brains to short circuit. Except you of course Nami my swan~!”

 

“I think that’s a fantastic idea Sanji! We’ll do that then, if there aren’t any objections?” Nami looked around the table and everybody nodded in agreement, except Zoro who just stared off in a different direction and threw the menu back at Sanji. Sanji didn’t even have to look in Zoro’s direction to see what was coming and snapped his hand out to catch the menu, continuing to smile at the pretty red head. Sanji took away the rest of the menus and put them away. He then reached into one of his drawers and pulled out two spatulas, placing them on the griddle before he turned around and began to prepare the batter for everybody’s pancake.

 

Sanji lined up five separate bowls of batter on the counter and poured them all onto the griddle one by one. He stood and watched them for a few minutes with his spatulas in his hands, waiting for the first side to cook. He flipped them respectively, spinning around in his spot and reaching for different spices as he cooked. Zoro watched as certain pancakes got certain spices, some getting more than others. While they finished cooking, Sanji reached into one of the cupboards above his head and pulled out six glasses, placing five in front of the group and one next to himself. He pulled a pitcher of ice water out of the fridge and filled each glass before turning back to refill the pitcher with fresh ice and water.

 

Sanji plated up each meal and placed them on the counter but slapped Luffy’s hand away when he reached for his food.

 

“Not yet, they aren’t finished!” Sanji turned around and grabbed five or six different bottles and shakers. Some looked like they contained sauces while others seemed to contain different kinds of flakey looking toppers. Sanji made a fancy, swirly heart on top of Nami’s meal with the mayonnaise, scribbling it in with a clearer, brown sauce. He then decorated it with fish flakes and a dusting of seaweed flakes. Sanji went from person to person down the line until he reached Zoro. “MORON” was written very clearly on his pancake in Japanese letters and Zoro raised his eyebrow as Sanji continued with his mockery, shaking at least half of his supply of seaweed flakes onto Zoro’s food.

 

“There! Now it looks just like you!” Sanji smiled and Zoro gritted his teeth in an attempt to keep from spewing acid at the taunting chef. Zoro grabbed one of the forks stuck in a cup in the middle of the counter and stabbed at his food. He would love to just leave it there and let it go to waste considering, but decided he was too hungry not to eat. Zoro shoved forkful after forkful into his mouth until his cheeks puffed out, he was successful in holding back whatever moans he had made last time he ate the blonds cooking. Sanji looked at them all expectantly and smiled at the group as they each dug into their own pancake.

 

“My god, Sanji! This is _really_ good!” Nami exclaimed through her mouthful.

 

“Yeah, holy shit man, you’re an awesome cook!” Usopp complimented.

 

“SO GOOOOOOD!!! Sanji! You’re going to be the cook for my crew!” Luffy shouted as he waved around his arms, forks roughly gripped in each hand.

 

“Luffy, why do you keep calling us your crew?” Chopper piped up.

 

“Because this one time, Zoro told me he wished he had been born a pirate, and I thought that was AWESOME! SO I decided we would become a crew, and now we are!”

 

“LUFFY! I told you not to talk abou- oh whatever, I said pirate HUNTER, not PIRATE.” Zoro blushed.

 

“And I said that pirates would have so much more fun! Pirates can take whatever they want, whenever they want and eat and party and nobody can tell them what to do! Pirate hunters have to obey the law or they don’t get paid and that’s stupid! Plus their older brothers don’t have to sneak them booze.”

 

“So you’d rather be a criminal and constantly on the run, kicked out of every town we make port in, challenged practically every day by enemy pirates, and hated by society in general than live by the law?” Nami asked as she chewed thoughtfully on her pancake.

 

“The law is stupid anyway! We can’t do _anything_ fun with them around. We can’t drink, we can’t be out past twelve at night, we can’t watch R rated movies! It’s no fair and I want to be a pirate!”

 

“Yeah! Say it loud and proud Luffy! Fuck the police!” Usopp pumped his fist in the air sarcastically and Luffy bent back in his seat laughing, slapping his hand on the table until he came to an abrupt stop, hands wrapping around his throat as he made choked noises.

 

“GAH! SOMEBODY GET A DOCTOR! HE’S CHOKING!” Chopper screamed as his eyes bugged out of his head.

 

“YOU’RE THE ONLY ONE HERE WITH MEDICAL TRAINING!” Usopp corrected the panicking child.

 

“DAMNIT LUFFY! Don’t fucking laugh while you’re EATING!” Zoro roared as he jumped out of his seat and rushed over to where Luffy was sitting. Zoro punched him squarely in the back of his head and Luffy’s face slammed into the counter, barely missing his plate of food. Luffy was still for a moment before springing up dramatically, eyes wide and cheeks puffed out. Luffy swallowed thickly and whipped his head around to glare at Zoro.

 

“DAMNIT ZORO! THAT HURT!”

 

“Yeah?! Would have hurt a lot more if you had DIED!” Luffy kept his teeth clenched as he growled at Zoro. The staring contest between the two was interrupted by uproarious laughter from the other side of the bar. Sanji was bent over so that only the top of his back was visible from where Zoro was standing. He snapped up straight and held on to his stomach as his chest heaved and laughter poured from his lips.

 

“You guys – AHA Ha… are so… so fucking stupid!” Sanji gasped out in between fits. “Alright! I’ll be your chef then!” Sanji beamed, teeth shining brightly and tears threatening to spill at the corners of his eyes. A faint blush tinted his cheeks from the overexertion and his eyes were shut tight as slight tremors continued to shake his body. Luffy stared at him for a moment, eyes wide and mouth in a slight ‘O’ shape before he broke out into another one of his famous grins. Zoro’s face was much of the same considering he’d never heard the blond actually _laugh_ like that before. It was, nice.

 

“YAY! Sanji’s one of us now!” Luffy announced happily before continuing to devour his food. Chopper was still recovering from watching the stupid boy nearly choke on his own food for the hundredth time and Usopp had left his seat to stand by the kid, rubbing his back soothingly. Nami stared at the group with her teeth clenched, smoke practically spewing from her ears and fire from her nostrils. Zoro smoothed down his jacket, which had gotten ruffled slightly in the chaos, and sat back down in his seat.

 

“You know that’s probably the worst decision you’ll ever make in your _life_.” Zoro smirked at the blond chef and took a long swig of his glass of water. Sanji turned to him and gave a thoughtful expression before he gave a grin so smug that he was tempted to rip it right off his face.

 

“And you would just HATE it if you had to see me all day long, wouldn’t you Mosshead?”

 

“Hey! What if we met here every day after school from now on? It’s always a pain in the ass planning whose house we’re going to anyway” Usopp suggested as he walked back over to his seat after successfully calming down Chopper. Nami grinned and reached over to hug the long-nosed boy, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and shaking him lightly.

 

“Usopp! That’s a fantastic idea! And Sanji could cook for us every day!”

 

“Yeah, I’ll get a special table set up for you guys and everything.” Sanji slipped his spatulas into the pockets on his apron and placed his hands on his hips.

 

“Works for me, Kuina hates it when I bring you guys over anyway.”

 

“Yeah, and I’m sick of Doctorine (Chopper’s nickname for his foster mom Kureha) getting pissed at me whenever you guys break something running around the house.”

 

“Nojiko and Bell-mére don’t mind having you guys over at all, but I do, so it’s perfect for me.” Usopp nodded in agreement, he’d lived with Nami long enough to know _exactly_ how she felt about people coming over to her house and getting anywhere _near_ her room.

 

“Sabo’s usually out with his friend Koala, and Ace doesn’t mind at all when you guys come over but he never seems to be completely dressed so I guess it makes more sense for us to come here.” Luffy nodded and Sanji raised an eyebrow at the black-haired boy.

 

“Whenever we go over to Luffy’s house, Ace, his brother, is in his underpants because… well, he usually has his boyfriend Marco over, it’s not like they start going at while we’re over there, but it’s still a little weird cause we’ve usually walked in _right_ before they were about to fuck. That, combined with the fact that Nami gets _super_ flustered whenever she sees him without his clo- OW!” Zoro stopped mid-sentence as a fist slammed into the back of his head.

 

“OF COURSE I GET FLUSTERED! YOU’D BE EMBARASSED IF YOU SAW NOJIKO WALKING AROUND IN _HER_ UNDERPANTS WHILE _HER_ BOYFRIEND’S OVER!”

 

“Then it’s settled! From now on we’re going to meet here!” Luffy’s laugh erupted amidst the bickering and he jumped out of his seat and raised his glass of water into the air. Zoro smirked as he raised his own, along with the rest of the group and their newest member. Water sloshed over the rims of their glasses as they clinked together above their heads and they all cheered as they gulped down the rest of it. Moonlight shining through the now empty glasses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time on Okonomi-Yaki!  
> Zoro: What do you mean 'I like him'?! You're all full of shit, he's just some asshole that I can't get rid of! I only help because I-uh... BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE IT DAMNIT! Anyway, I'm thinking about opening up to that Curly-brow, maybe he'll even tell me about himself... not that I care.


	8. Learning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT! PLEASE READ!  
> Hey guys, I want to apologize a head of time but I'm looking back on the chapters and there are some things that don't really make sense. I'm editing them and re-posting them. It's not a huge difference. I changed the year from 2015 to 2010. Chopper is 13 instead of 15. I added a few tidbits of info here and there so that things ran more smoothly. I also added an explanation of where everybody sits in Sanji and Zoro's homeroom. I know that's not fair and that I should have got that all dealt with earlier and I am so sorry! It's just that I realized that as I was writing I wrote some things that contradicted each other and I had to fix it. You can go back and look it all over again if you would like but those few things are the only real major differences, once again I am so sorry!

It was late April outside, the cherry blossoms on the trees were fading away, slowly being replaced with different shades of green. The semester would be coming to an end soon and Zoro was looking forward to spending most of his summer practicing his kendo at the dojo. Sanji had now been with the group for a few months and everything was going… not bad. A lot better than Zoro had expected it to go when the hot-headed blond joined them. They fought over nothing on a day to day basis, seemingly only doing so to get pent up anger out of their system. If anybody asked Zoro what he thought of the curly-browed moron, Zoro would call him exactly that. He would tell them just how much he hated the guy and that the only reason he put up with him was because Luffy liked his cooking.

 

Of course it was a lie. Zoro would say he hated the way the guy walked, even the way he _breathed_. Hated the way he fawned over every woman that he passed by, hated the way he sucked on those damn cigarettes like he would die without them, hated the way he would walk Zoro home every day so that he wouldn’t get lost on the way. Zoro would say he hated his foul mouth, foul food, and foul attitude. The attitude that always seemed to get him into trouble. Zoro could easily say all these things to anybody that asked him, but saying them to himself? For some reason, that was the one thing he couldn’t do. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t convince himself that he seriously hated the guy.

 

If Zoro was honest, he would tell anybody who asked that Sanji was the best cook he’d ever met, that he poured the most passion into his cooking that he’d ever seen from a single person. He also fought the hardest he’d ever seen from a guy still just in high school. He acted like he had everything yet nothing to prove, that he was too good for the people that wanted to fight him. He always let them know that very clearly as he turned his backs on any person that he pissed off, lighting his cigarette and tossing a middle finger in their direction whenever things were getting to intense. The only person Sanji ever fought over unnecessarily was Zoro. Zoro would of course tell people that he hated fighting with Sanji, hated being in the same room as him. But honestly, he loved every second of every fight they had. He couldn’t risk the blond bastard over hearing that though, so he kept his mouth shut.

 

Sanji had set up a large table at the All Blue for the group for when they showed up after school. It was constantly reserved so they never had to worry about whether or not they would have a spot when they got there. Business was going great for Sanji as well, a lot of people loved the food and that didn’t surprise Zoro in the least. Once word of the stand had gotten around, it had become nearly impossible to have some time to talk with the chef while he was at work. That’s why Luffy had made Sanji agree to taking off one day a week to hang out with them. Sanji closed the stand every Sunday, which was the day he got the least amount of customers anyway.

 

More often than not, on their day off, Ace and Sabo would come home with a shitload of booze and they would all drink until they forget their own names. Zoro never really felt the buzz though. Everybody would practically be falling out of their seats drunk before Zoro was even slightly tipsy. Everybody except for Nami of course. They both had a high alcohol tolerance, something that came in handy when Zoro had to use the family car (slightly illegally) to drive everybody home. Luffy would of course stay with his brothers since he lived there and Chopper would stay over at Zoro’s house while he slept off the hangover, he couldn’t risk being caught by Kureha. She probably still thought it was alright to give kids a lashing when they acted up. That, and Chopper would have to deal with her at school the next day.

 

The worst part about those nights was when he had to bring Sanji home. When he would sling the blond over his back and carry him up the stairs to his apartment, fishing the keys out of Sanji’s pockets and letting himself in. The house was always so empty. At first, Zoro had assumed Sanji wasn’t finished unpacking yet, but that wasn’t the case. He just… didn’t have anything. He had cooking supplies, that was for sure. But not much else. A couch and a TV that didn’t have cable. A small side table where Zoro would always put Sanji’s keys after he’s used them. The only things in the blonds bedroom was a bed, a dresser, a framed picture, and a bear. It seemed so out of place in his room. It was so creepy. Zoro was tempted to throw it out when he saw it the last time, but he left it where it sat, right next to the picture. It was a picture of what looked like a much younger Sanji standing next to an old man with a beard so long he braided it and a chef hat so tall it disappeared. They were standing in front of a restaurant called the ‘Baratie’ and the old man held his hand firmly on Sanji’s head as the tiny blond struggled to free himself, mouth open in what Zoro could only guess would have been a string of his famous insults.

 

Zoro would carefully place Sanji in his bed, slipping him out of his heavier clothing so that he was only left in his under shirt and pants. Zoro remembered how much he’d hated waking up hot after passing out on his first night of drinking with Ace and the gang. Whenever he would get drunk enough to wake up hung over, he would be dizzy and his head would throb so badly that all motor skills he had would fly out the window. Trying desperately to unbutton a heavy coat while hurling into your toilet until there was nothing left in your stomach was the second worst thing he’d ever experienced and Zoro was happy with being able to take away at least half of that from the blonds Monday morning.

 

The absolute worst part about dropping Sanji off in his house after drinking was the feeling that would tug at his heart when Zoro laid him in his bed. Sanji’s hair, long since pulled from its tie, would pool around his head, swirling and falling in all sorts of directions. His chest rising and falling as he breathed slowly. He would be flushed a deep shade of red from the alcohol, lips parted slightly and eyes shut gently. He looked peaceful, especially compared to the usual expressions he allowed Zoro to see. Sanji would groan softly as he shifted in his bed and the noise would send a jolt through Zoro’s body, that would be the point where he would briskly walk out of the blonds house, keeping his head down and thinking about _anything_ but _that_ noise.

 

It was now Friday afternoon and for the twentieth time since he’d met Sanji, the blond had snuck up to the roof to smoke. Zoro joined him more often than not. He told himself it was because he got sick of hanging out with the ‘crew’. Sanji would lean forward on the railing that surrounded the top of the building, smoke spilling from his mouth and curling around in the air. Zoro propped himself against the railing as he watched Sanji out of the corner of his eye. They were silent for a long time until Sanji finally stubbed out his cigarette and turned to Zoro.

 

“So, why is the Marimo learning Japanese?” Zoro scowled at the blond and grunted. Ever since he’d learned that word in class, he’s used it as his go-to insult.

 

“Well… guess you could say I’m planning on going home.” Zoro muttered as he stared up at the sky. It was overcast. Thick grey clouds stretched as far as he could see.

 

“Home? You used to live in Japan?”

 

“Not for very long… I was born there, left when I was a little kid.” Zoro murmured and Sanji gave him a quizzical look. Zoro sighed before he continued his explanation. Maybe he could even get the stubborn blond to give him a little more on his own life. “I ran away from home. My parents thought I was a ‘demon child’ or some shit like that because of my hair,” Zoro pointed to his head before he continued, “and reminded me of it every fucking day, so I… left. I packed up my shit, got on a boat, and then ended up here. I’m taking Japanese now so I can go home, I… I have a right to be there and fuck them if they don’t like it!” Zoro hadn’t realized how agitated he had become until he heard himself yelling, carding his hands roughly through said ‘demon child hair’ as he calmed himself down.

 

“Demon child..? Holy shit.” Sanji mused as he lit up his second smoke. Zoro noted how fast he tended to blow through those things. “So, how are you still here? Shouldn’t you have been… I dunno, returned or some shit? The police don’t usually just let some kid walk into another country.”

 

“Parents never reported me as missing, so nobody was every _looking_ for me. I just slipped right past border security, I don’t remember how.” Sanji made a comment under his breath about pretending to be a house plant in order to get over and Zoro grunted in response before continuing his story.

 

“Koshiro took me in when he found me. Got my citizenship after a few years too, I’m sure he would adopt me if he could... but then I would get found out and sent back.” Zoro watched the slight emotions flickering across Sanji’s face. He hadn’t told a lot of people about his past, he’d told the group though. He’d seen a lot of reactions from them. Pity from Nami and Usopp. Anger from Luffy. Understanding from Chopper. A mix of everything. But Sanji’s face was almost… neutral. Well, not neutral, there was something there, something strong. But he was masking it.

 

“Uh… So! Why are you studying Japanese, Dart-board?” Sanji blinked himself out of his trance and scowled as he mulled over what he was going to say. Zoro was sure that he’d given the blond enough information about himself to earn at least a _little_ of his past. Not that Zoro was interested. At all.

 

“I… uh. I’m planning on moving to Japan too. Just need to get away from… shit.” Sanji sucked thoughtfully on his cigarette, pondering where to go from there, what he would tell Zoro next. His curly eyebrows scrunched together and his fingers gripped a little tighter onto his butt.

 

“S’ fine if you don’t wanna talk, we can just forget this conversation happened… okay?” Sanji nodded his head and tapped his cigarette against the railing, ash falling and blowing away in the wind. Sanji took one last pull before crushing it under his shoe and gave a face splitting grin, a grin so big and so toothy after such a depressing conversation that it could only be fake.

 

“So, Marimo! Back to society we go! Before you try to run away from _me_ too, we both know you won’t find your way back.” Zoro frowned as Sanji lead him to the door, walking through and then slamming it on his face. Zoro stood there for a moment scowling, before he let himself in and followed behind Sanji, heading down the stairs for their homeroom.

 

“SANJI! ZORO!” Luffy shouted as he jumped to tackle the two. Zoro fell backward slightly as he the boy wrapped his arms around his waist. “We should have a sleep over!”

 

“Uh.. what?” Zoro looked down at Luffy, his eyes were wide and smiling with mischief. His shirt hung loosely from his shoulders, black with skull patterns adorning it. The guy was so scrawny that Zoro was surprised Luffy was able to find clothes that actually fit him _that_ well. Zoro raised his eyebrows inquisitively as he placed his hands on Luffy’s shoulders and attempted, vainly, to shove him off.

 

“Usopp and Chopper need help with their math homework and you and Sanji are ahead of us so we should have a homework sleep over party!”

 

“And why are _you_ involved in this if Usopp and Chopper are the ones that need help?” Sanji asked from where he stood next to Zoro just inside the doorway of the classroom.

 

“Because _I’m_ the captain!”

 

“Yeah dumbass cook, it’s cause he’s the captain, isn’t that obvious?” Zoro smirked and Sanji scowled as he turned to walk to where Nami sat.

 

“And will my lovely swan be joining us~?” Sanji asked, voice dripping with adoration.

 

“Sorry Sanji, but I’m helping Nojiko out with trimming the tangerine trees this weekend. Besides, I thought it might be nice for you guys to have a ‘boys night’ or whatever you wanna call it.” Nami smiled sweetly and even though the blond was obviously deflated by the fact Nami wouldn’t be participating, he smiled back and turned around to look back at Luffy, who was still hanging from Zoro’s waist.

 

“Who’s house and when?”

 

“Wow, I was expecting a lot more of a fight out of you Sanji.” Usopp sounded surprised as he leaned back in his seat.

 

“Well there’s no point fighting it anymore is there? If the bastard wanted us all to jump off a bridge I’m sure he’s more than capable of convincing us to do _exactly_ that!” Usopp shrugged and turned back to his lunch, scooping a heaping spoonful of yogurt into his mouth.

 

“Saturday! We’ll meet at… Sanji’s house at seven!” Sanji’s eyebrow twitched irritably. The group had never been to Sanji’s house before. Not as a group and not alone, Zoro was sure of that. He was the only one that had been there and Zoro was also sure that Sanji would probably not like everybody seeing his dirty underwear. AKA, the loneliest looking apartment on the planet.

 

“I work on Saturday Luffy! I can’t blow that off to-“

 

“That’s why I said seven and at your house! You can just get off work an hour early tomorrow, you _are_ your own boss after all. Then you can go straight home, change out of your sweaty work clothes and we can _PARTY!_ ” Luffy shouted gleefully as he let go of Zoro, standing on top of one of the desks and pumping his fists in the air.

 

“Who’s gonna be there to let you in then? I still have to walk home from work after all, I don’t need you standing outside my apartment for half an hour!” Sanji continued to fight, despite saying he wouldn’t even attempt to minutes earlier.

 

“Give Zoro a house key! He lives right next to you, he can’t get _that_ lost!”

 

“You underestimate Zoro’s abilities Luffy.” Usopp corrected. “I went over to Zoro’s house once and he couldn’t find the bathroom. HIS bathroom. His apartment only has five rooms.” Sanji chuckled behind his hand and Zoro glared daggers at him. “He accidentally walked into his sister’s room, twice.” And now Sanji was full on roaring at Zoro, hunched over with one hand on a desk and the other clenched on his stomach. Chopper was laughing too, sucker still hanging from his mouth as he sprawled onto his back on the floor. Soon, laughter from the entire group filled the room and Zoro blushed madly in his embarrassment.

 

“All… All right Marimo.” Sanji said in between gasping and laughter. “I’ll drop off the key to my place before I head out for work.” Zoro nodded, refusing to look directly at anybody.

 

_*BRRRRRRRRRRR*_

 

Zoro sighed heavily as he turned back out of the doorway and went about the rest of his school day. By the time it was over, he was more than ready to go home and lay down. Once he was inside, Zoro flopped onto the couch, sticking his music player in the speaker system and blasting it as loud as he could. Kuina and Koshiro would be having another late night so he didn’t need to bother listening with his headphones. At least not until they got home that is. They usually cooked dinner but Friday’s were special. Friday’s meant pizza, burgers, fried chicken, or bad Chinese food. Whatever they had coupons for. Meaning he didn’t even have to get _up_ until they got home at seven. The music rang through his ears as he flung an arm over his eyes.

 

Zoro didn’t mind today’s music, it wasn’t too bad, a lot of it was real repetitive, but there were some good bands out there. Fall Out Boy was one of his personal favourites, they’d been around for a while though, so he couldn’t really count them as ‘one of today’s bands’. Any person in their right mind had to like at least a few songs that band made. Zoro groaned and turned over so he was laying on his side before the world around him faded to black and he drifted to sleep.

 

_“Mmm…” Zoro groaned as he tossed in his soft bed sheets. Music played softly in his bedroom, he couldn’t understand which song, it was all a bit of a blur, but he was never really paying full attention in the mornings anyway. Zoro rolled over and wrapped his arms around the soft body next to his, pulling it tightly to his chest and nuzzling into soft locks of hair. The body he’d curled himself around eradiated heat and it was so welcoming that Zoro couldn’t help what he did next, darting out his tongue to lick and suck at red tinged ears. Zoro’s hand trailed down and massaged at the soft inner flesh of strong thighs._

_Zoro heard a gasp and smirked against blond hair, threading his free arm underneath a pale neck and reaching his hand up to soft lips, pushing two fingers inside and pumping them languidly. Zoro felt his arousal growing as moans filled the small room and he grinded his hips against heated flesh. Zoro pulled his fingers from the welcoming mouth and brought the now wet digits down to play with the pert nipples on a surprisingly flat… muscular chest? Zoro scrunched his eyebrows in confusion and pulled away, shoving the body next to him to lie flat on his back._

_“C-Curly?!” Sanji’s entire upper chest was flushed as deep a scarlet as his face and neck, eyes wide with arousal and lips parted slightly. The sheets of the bed covered his lower section, but the thin blankets did next to nothing to hide his modesty. Zoro’s eyes were wide as he stared down at the blond cook. Sanji made no move to separate himself from the green-haired teen and even wrapped a kitchen-calloused hand around the back of Zoro’s neck. Zoro’s fingers were still on Sanji’s chest and he experimentally pinched at one of his nipples. Sanji arched into the touch and moaned Zoro’s name, dragging the ‘o’ as Zoro continued to pinch and play with the blonds nipples. Zoro swallowed thickly and leaned down, his pulse racing and mind reeling as Sanji leaned up to meet him. He nearly closed the distance between the two, the tip of his nose brushing against Sanji’s as he made to connect their lips and-_

 

“GET UP YOU MORON!” Zoro yelped as he felt a strong yet small fist make contact with the center of his back. “Dinner’s on so get up! It’s Five Guys tonight. Oh! And STOP playing your damn MUSIC so loud!” Kuina turned and walked to the table, taking her seat and grabbing a handful of fries from the bottom of a greasy paper bag. Zoro groaned as was about to roll over and make for the table when he realized the… problem he had. His flushed face was buried in one of the couch cushions and he was laying on his stomach so if he could just play it off like he was really sore from gym class…

 

“Well? Gonna come eat with us or am I gonna get all the fries tonight AGAIN?” Zoro growled into the cushion but resisted the temptation to jump up and scream at her.

 

“Put mine in the oven, I’m too sore from gym to get up right now.” Zoro turned his head slightly and saw Koshiro do exactly as Zoro had asked.

 

Now that the food situation was under control, Zoro was faced with a new problem. Zoro had guessed that this might be the case with how he’d been reacting to the blond lately, but was _really_ hoping he could have gotten it under control, reigned it in before it could go this far. Sanji was… well SANJI. Ladies’ man, love-cook, swirly-browed, cocky bastard. They kicked each other’s asses the first day they met, the idea of them even getting along was so far out there that you’d need a telescope to see it. Zoro sighed heavily as he willed his hard on away, pressing his body as tightly as possible against the couch.

 

Why did the idea of Sanji’s lips on his make him more aroused anything from the rest of the scene? Why was he so desperately disappointed when he was ripped away from his dreams at the moment he was? The whole thing pissed him off, which helped with taming his arousal.

 

By the time he felt safe enough to get up, Koshiro and Kuina had already finished and Kuina was now sitting on top of Zoro’s back. Zoro grunted in displeasure but if Kuina heard him, she completely ignored him, opting for flipping through channels on the TV instead. Zoro could easily have pushed her off, he’d grown much stronger than he used to be back when they were kids and Kuina would easily beat him in Kendo matches against one another. He could easily beat her now, he just chose not to for some reason. Maybe it was a brother-sister thing, maybe it was a Zoro-Kuina thing, he wasn’t quite sure but whatever it was, it was nice.

 

After watching a few episodes on Netflix of Doctor Who, Kuina got off and smacked Zoro lightly on the back of the head. Zoro made another grunt in response and she laughed softly before leaving and going into her own room. Zoro rolled himself off the couch, falling onto the floor and staring at the ceiling for a few more minutes before getting up and pulling his burger out of the oven. The lettuce and tomato had been removed which made him frown, he looked in the fridge to see if there was any leftover only to find that the veggies from his burger where in a plastic bag, kept nice and chilled for him.

 

 _Fuck._ Zoro thought to himself as he dressed up his burger and smiled. _I couldn’t have gotten any luckier when I found you guys…_ There was still a few handfuls of fries leftover as well so he made sure to pig out on those before heading to his room. He stripped off his clothes from the day and changed into a pair of pajamas, jumping into bed and rolling around in the sheets a few times. Zoro reveled in the feeling before he remembered where he’d last felt the sheets against his skin.

 

_“Zoro…”_

 

Images of soft lips inches away from his own filled his brain and Zoro grumbled into his pillow as he willed the visions away and let sleep take him again. Tomorrow was going to be a _long_ day and he would really need the extra shut eye. Besides, what were the chances of having the same dream twice in a row? Apparently very high.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time on Okonomi-Yaki!  
> Sanji: OUT OF THE WAY JACKASS! It's my turn! Homework party? Ah fuck, guess I have to go shopping then. Wait, Mossy's coming too?! No way! Oh great, now he's asking questions too? Well... I guess I'll give him something. Just to get him off my back though! Not because I want to or anything!


	9. Why Toronto?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! I got past my writers block! Now to do the other bajillion chapters! Ahahaha.

Sanji pulled a loose fitting shirt over his chest as he toed on his shoes. He’d given in to letting the guys stay the night at his house for a “sleep over homework party”. He found himself looking forward to it far more than he expected he would. But he knew for a fact that there wasn’t nearly enough food in his house to keep the boys satisfied. He only ever bought groceries for himself when they were on sale, that’s not to say he would starve himself, but his options were limited. The more popular foods like doritos and mountain dew weren’t things usually found in his kitchen. It just wasn’t in the budget.

 

Tonight though would have to be an exception. Sanji knew that Superstore opened at seven so he had decided to get there nice and early to pick up some snacks. He’d been saving coupons for junk food anyway, he just wasn’t one to buy the stuff, opting instead for making himself something healthy. Four teenage boys on the other hand weren’t the type to dig out on veggies and dip. He’d found a coupon for a twelve pack of Cola, two for one bottles of orange crush, buy two get one free family sized chips, and a promotional deal for some store brand cookies. That should be enough for one night. There was also a blockbuster closing down the road so he could probably get a few movies for a decent deal. Not like they _should_ be watching movies, it’s a ‘homework’ party after all.

 

Sanji grabbed his wallet and phone on his way out the door, hair tie snapped tightly around his wrist next to his watch. He was fully capable of putting in the tie without looking in a mirror and was planning on doing just that on his way to the store. It was still slightly chilly outside, rain clouds from yesterday still threatening in the sky.

 

_“I have a right to be there and fuck them if they don’t like it!”_

 

Sanji slowed in his walk as he remembered his brief conversation with the Marimo yesterday. It was short, but it made his heart clench in his chest. He’d guessed that Zoro probably noticed how he was reacting by the way he attempted to change the subject.

 

_“S’ fine if you don’t wanna talk, we can just forget this conversation happened… okay?”_

 

Why had Zoro been acting so… considerate? Why hadn’t the dumbass pushed and pushed like anybody else who’s asked about his backstory. Especially the people back home who knew what happened. Not like he knew too many people who were _willing_ to attempt asking him those kind of questions. Not a lot of elementary school kids watched the news anyway.

 

A rumble above his head jerked Sanji out of his thoughts and he grimaced at the darkening sky. Sanji decided he was close enough to home to turn back around and grab a jacket, he needed a pack of smokes anyway and was out of pockets to carry them in. He’s just have to use one of his thinner coats. Sanji grabbed his apartment key from his back pocket and ran his thumb over it.

 

_“I’ll drop off the key to my place before I head out for work.”_

 

Maybe he should just drop the key off now, by the time he was done shopping for the party and the stand, he would probably need to go straight to work. He might have enough time to go home first but more than likely, he would be going straight to the stand. Yeah, he should just drop the key off now. Sanji stuck the key in his lock and reached inside, pulling his jacket off a hook right next to the door and slipping it over his shoulders. He knew his smokes and lighter were still inside he’d worn it yesterday.

 

He locked the door up again and walked the short distance to Zoro’s apartment. He balled up his fist and it hovered in front of the door. He had no clue why he was so nervous about- well, maybe it was because he’s never been to Zoro’s house before. That and it was seven thirty in the morning on a Saturday and Sanji was planning on knocking on the door of a guy he’s seen sleeping almost every other lunch. He probably slept in every day. _Sanji. Just do it. It’s just the Marimo, not a big deal if he loses some sleep._ Sanji sucked in a deep breath and knocked.

 

There was silence for a moment before he heard footsteps on the other side of the door.

 

“It is _way_ too early for some damn door to door sales- oh, hi Sanji.” Kuina, Zoro’s blue-haired, fiery tempered sister greeted the blond.

 

“Good morning my lovely~. I was just looking for your plant-headed brother so I could drop something off.” Sanji had learned early not to be too flirty with Kuina whenever they did talk. She tended to hit and even though Sanji could take it, he could tell she also felt a little uncomfortable with the flirting. He hated to do that to women, preferring to swoon over those that liked it.

 

“He’s in the backyard practicing, why don’t you come in, he’ll be done soon.” Sanji raised a quizzical eyebrow as he stepped through the door.

 

“He’s up? And he’s… practicing?”

 

“Yeah, we do kendo together at the dojo, he usually sleeps in on Saturday’s, as you probably guessed. For some reason he got up at, like, five this morning and starting waving his stupid swords around. My guess is he’s trying to will away some ‘dirty dreams’.” Kuina smirked at the way Sanji blushed at that last part. Sanji was about ready to just drop the keys on their kitchen table and turn right back out their front door when he heard the back door to the apartment open and close behind him. He cooled his expression as he heard heavy footsteps approaching.

 

“Oi. What’s Dartboard doing here?” Sanji heard a gruff voice behind him and scowled, face turning red, turning around and ready to chew the guy out when the sound caught in his throat. Zoro was naked from the waist up, sporting a loose pair of pants on the bottom and bare feet. Sanji’s jaw dropped slightly at the sight and a blush tinged his cheeks. Sanji himself was pretty well built underneath his shirt, but not like Zoro. Sanji’s eyes nearly bugged out as they lingered for a second longer on Zoro’s chest and he noticed the huge scar that stretched from the top of Zoro’s left shoulder down to his right hip. The skin was gnarled and discoloured in some spots, but it didn’t look new, in fact, it looked old, like he’d had it for a long time. He was toweling himself off and two kendo swords hung loosely under his left arm. _Holy shit, two swords? Had Kuina been training with him? Hmmm, but she doesn’t look like she’s been training._ Sanji cleared his throat before speaking.

 

“I uh… I was just going to drop off the keys before I went shopping for the sleep over! So here!” Sanji dangled the key in front of Zoro’s face and rolled his eyes when Zoro didn’t take them.

 

“How are you gonna get it all home?” Zoro pointed out. Sanji scowled as he thought about how he would go about doing that and shrugged when he couldn’t think of anything.

 

“I guess I was planning on just taking it all to the restaurant… I had to get some groceries for that too.” If you’re wondering why Sanji was acting so civil with the Marimo that would be because he is in the presence of a young, beautiful lady. He would love to curse Zoro out for walking around half naked and throw the key at his face but no. He was a gentleman and would stay just so.

 

“And how are you going to _carry_ all of that?”

 

“If you’re so worried about your boyfriend Zoro, why don’t you just take the car and drive him there? Long as you don’t get caught it shouldn’t be a big deal.” Kuina smirked as the two boys jumped at the accusation. Sanji was about to politely correct her on their situation when Zoro beat him to it.

 

“HE’S NOT MY BOYFRIEND YOU ASSHOLE!”

 

“OI! DON’T BE RUDE TO A LADY YOU CAVEMAN!” Sanji’s face felt like it was on fire. But for some reason, he couldn’t attribute it to anger. He wasn’t _angry_ that he’d been accused of liking _Zoro_. Why wasn’t he angry? Why wasn’t he disgusted? Why did Zoro look like he was facing the exact same problem? His hand was covering his eyes and his face was blushed a deep crimson. His posture was rigid and he looked like he was about to snap. He suddenly turned around, storming off to what Sanji guessed had to be his room, slamming the door behind him.

 

“…DAMNIT!” Sanji heard from behind the door and Zoro came storming out, stomping across the hallway into the room across from the one he’d gone into. Sanji walked down the hallway and looked into the room Zoro had just come out of. It was the… bathroom? Usopp wasn’t joking. Zoro really _did_ get lost in his own house! Sanji burst out into laughter and had to sit down in the hallway he had just been gawking in, arms wrapped around his stomach.

 

After a few minutes, Sanji had calmed himself down and just when he was about to turn and leave, a certain moss-brain slammed open the door of his room. He was dressed now. More so than he was before. He had on a pair of shorts and a tee that Sanji guessed was supposed to fit loosely but still stretched ever so slightly against his chest He had his glasses on too which did _not_ look really fucking good on him, resting on his nose so that his eyes peaked over his glasses. He was still slightly flustered looking and grunted when he saw the chef sitting on the floor.

 

“Well? Are we going or not?” Sanji looked confusedly at Zoro for a moment and Zoro sighed dramatically. “You’re going to all this trouble so we can have a decent sleep over, if I _didn’t_ help, Luffy would kick my ass. So _don’t_ get a big head about this! I just don’t feel like being a total dick today!” Sanji nodded slowly and followed behind Zoro as he toed on his shoes and grabbed the car keys. Kuina waved at Zoro with a smile that even Sanji had to admit had a devilish tinge to it.

 

“You know, driving alone like this with only your ‘L’ is illegal.” Sanji murmured as he walked.

 

“You don’t seem to complain when I drive you home every Sunday. Completely wasted.”

 

Zoro hopped into the beat up old car and started it up, leaning out the window and waving the blond in. Sanji slid into the passenger seat and shut the door behind him. The ride to the market consisted of Sanji yelling directions at the Marimo until he finally got the idea and went the way Sanji was pointing. It took them fifteen minutes to drive there, it honestly could have taken half that time but Sanji decided that he wouldn’t test Zoro after how… nice he was being at the moment.

 

Zoro grabbed a cart and Sanji started to walk down the aisles one by one. Sanji held on to the front of the cart, pushing it back lightly whenever he wanted to stop and throw something in. By the end of it, the cart was full and Sanji went searching through his coupon book until he found one for almost everything he had. He’d learned how to save within the first month of living on his own. In the end, he’d saved fifty dollars on his purchases when it should have come up to at least a hundred. Zoro helped load it all into the trunk, raindrops creating dark spots on their shoulders and back as they packed everything in. Sanji stuck a cigarette in his mouth before jumping back into the passenger seat.

 

“You seriously gonna smoke in my car?” Zoro asked as he buckled himself into the driver’s side.

 

“No, I just like having it in my mouth. Dumbass.” Zoro growled angrily but pulled out of the parking lot and drove off. Sanji told Zoro about how he’d wanted to stop by the old Blockbuster before they went home and Zoro followed the blonds directions to find it. Sanji found that if he used reverse psychology, telling him ‘right’ when he wanted him to go ’left’, worked the best. Sanji picked out what DVD’s he could find for special deals like two for one, while Zoro looked for video games with samurais and pirates. They ended up with about ten DVD’s that were a buck each, the shitty ones without covers anymore and just the title typed up on a white piece of paper with a short description on the back that you just know they found on Wikipedia. Zoro mentioned an old game system he had in storage that had at least four controller ports that he was willing to bring over as long as Sanji would help him find some multiplayer games, so they got a few of those too.

 

It was weird how nice the day had been. They’d barely done any fighting and it had been nice to have somebody help him with shopping. It was especially nice having somebody that could carry four bottles and two cases of soda all at once to the car without looking the slightest bit strained. By the time they got back to the apartments it was ten and Sanji had to open the store in an hour. Zoro helped Sanji carry all the groceries into his house, except for the ones meant for the stand. Sanji was inside for about twenty minutes after redoing his outfit to look more professional. Putting on a light blue striped dress shirt over an undershirt and rolling up the sleeves. He put on a pair of black business pants and his work shoes and threw his apron in an old back pack along with his wallet, key and phone. His pants didn’t have pockets to stick them in.

 

Sanji was surprised when he walked outside and Zoro was back waiting patiently in the car.

 

“For fuck’s sake… It’s raining! Even though I’d _love_ to let you get soaked, all your shit is still in my car and I need it out so I’m gonna drop you off and you’re gonna keep your stupid mouth shut!” Zoro yelled.

 

“Fine. But don’t go thinking I’m gonna give you free food because of this!” Zoro laughed and honked the horn a few times until Sanji jumped into the passenger side and buckled himself back in. On the way there, Sanji watched the rain tapping on the window. It was just a drizzle, nothing that would cause him much trouble if he’s just walked to the stand, but it was still nice to be inside a car. Zeff used to take him on car rides to calm him down whenever he would have nightmares. The slight vibration and hum of the vehicle was soothing.

 

“So… why Toronto?” Zoro asked, glancing over at the blond before looking back at the road.

 

“Mmmm… I guess because it was a big change moving from France to Canada and Ontario seemed like it would be the best mix of French and English speaking people…”

 

“If you wanted to feel more at home, shouldn’t you have gone to Quebec? A lot more French there.”

 

“Well yeah but… that’s kinda what he would expect…” Sanji mumbled as he continued to stare out the window, watching water droplets form together and race to the bottom.

 

“Who- ah, never mind.” Sanji frowned to himself. Zoro _never_ pushed him to tell him about his past. Neither did Luffy, but Luffy seemed genuinely disinterested in anything that wasn’t food or adventure. He’d told Sanji so much the other day too… stuff that if told to the wrong person, could get him shipped right back to Japan. Well, he was going back there anyway, but he probably didn’t wanna get shipped back to live with the family of his. Anyway, he owed the Marimo something.

 

“My dad. Broke out of jail a few months ago.” Sanji glanced over at Zoro, gauging his reaction. He wasn’t as stoic as usual, which at least meant he was listening. Sanji rolled around the cigarette still stuck between his teeth before speaking again. “He was in for… homicide.”

 

Zoro pulled in right next to the All Blue and turned off the car, he sat silently for a moment and didn’t look over at Sanji at all, just stared down at his lap before quickly fixing his glasses and unlocking the doors. He shuffled out and made his way to the back of the car. Sanji followed and Zoro opened up the trunk, pulling out a few bags and looping his arms through them.

 

“You’re gonna have to show me were all this shit goes.” Zoro noted as he walked over to the stand. Sanji smiled and pulled out the keys, picking up the last few bags and unlocking the back door. The two spent about twenty minutes putting away all the groceries. Zoro kept opening up the wrong cupboard whenever Sanji told him where to put something, it was hilarious watching the meat head turn red whenever Sanji would say ‘your other left.’ After it was all put away, Sanji got to work getting the ingredients ready. He always pre-chopped the cabbage and bacon, placing it in a bin in the fridge for later use. He looked up after a minute to see Zoro walking around towards his car.

 

“Oi! You forgot the key.”

 

“Oh yeah, toss it.” Sanji did so and Zoro caught it easily, twirling it around on his finger as he jumped in the front seat. “See ya later shitty cook!” Zoro called out his window as his car pulled out.

 

“Oh fuck off!” Sanji cursed, leaning onto the bar area of the stand and waving a knife around threateningly. He watched water droplets fall onto the blade and frowned. Not many people would be going to an outdoor food stand when it was raining out. Even if it was just a light drizzle, people could be real wimpy sometimes when it came to getting wet. Sanji sighed as he ducked back inside. At least that meant less work for him.

 

The day went by just as expected. The drizzle had turned into a downpour and it was particularly slow. The usual customers all showed up, then again, most of them came just to have somebody to talk to. Sanji always made it a point to be friendly to all customers that came to the stand. Unless they were rude to the people around them or himself. He was severely tempted to spit in somebodies food while they were being too pushy with a young girl, pulling out every cheesy, inappropriate pickup line in the book. He settled instead for shoving his food in his face and telling him to get the fuck out.

 

Sanji groaned as he stepped out of the stand, locking the door behind him. He’d forgotten his umbrella at home and he couldn’t call Zoro over to pick him up in the car. Zoro probably would do it too. He’d no doubt be an asshole about it, calling him a moron and smirking at him, but he’d still do it. Zoro was such a fucking bastard sometimes that Sanji wanted to strangle him! But then today, it was so… different. Sanji never really enjoyed shopping, he always spent the entire day doing so, making trip after trip since he didn’t have his own car. Owning a kiosk without having transportation was such a pain. But today, Zoro had driven him everywhere he needed to go and everything got done in record time, despite the Marimo getting lost nine times outta ten. Sanji had even laughed a few times.

 

Sanji stuck a smoke between his lips, there was no point in lighting it since the rain would put it out, but it was comforting having it just sit there. Sanji wasn’t quite sure _why_ smoking had attracted him so much, it just did. Well, in all honesty, he knew why. It was so that he always had something in his mouth. His thoughts began to wander again.

 

 

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so… happy. Not in his entire life. He was _happier_ when Zeff had adopted him. He was _happier_ whenever he got to cook in the kitchen. But he was never actually _happy._ People had tried to make him happy, to be his friend, and he had the people at the Baratie to cheer him up. But nothing ever worked. Hell, he’d gotten so used to wearing a fake smile that he didn’t think he even had a real one.

 

Then he met Zoro and Luffy, and everybody else. And he didn’t just smile, he actually laughed for the first time. Laughed so hard that his eyes got teary and his stomach hurt. Sanji smiled to himself as he remembered the time that Luffy had stolen some of Usopp’s food and had an allergic reaction. It was some kind of weird mushroom soup that the boy had just started to slurp down when it happened. His eyes got itchy and his gums got real puffy, but he kept eating. Sanji had slapped him on the back of the head and sent him to the doctor’s office. He could hear Law laughing from the other end of the hallway, which was weird because Law _never_ laughed as far as Sanji knew.

 

_“Well fine then! I don’t need your help, I’ll just go somewhere people won’t laugh at me!”_

_“No.. no! I really am sorry Luffy-ya. You just- just caught me off guard, come back inside. Please?” Law said between chuckles and snickers. Zoro burst out laughing upon hearing the conversation and the rest of the group soon followed. Sanji had to lean on the window sill to keep himself standing._

 

Sanji sighed happily as he walked up to the front door of his apartment. He slowly opened the door and the faint smile on his face was immediately replaced with a deep scowl. Zoro was laying half asleep on his couch, glasses still present from their morning shopping trip, Usopp was tinkering with the TV, Luffy had his hands buried in two separate bowls of food, and poor Chopper was sitting at the kitchen table, trying his hardest to get some work done. There were wet coats scattered all over the place, boots and sneakers kicked off to the side haphazardly. There were already about three empty cans littering the sitting room, and music was blaring at an unbelievable volume from a set of speakers plugged into an MP3. Sanji took in a deep breath… and screamed.

 

_“YOU FUCKING BASTARDS!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time on Okonomi-Yaki!  
> Sanji: Why are you dumbasses so obsessed with fictional, mutant, ninja turtles?! And obviously I would be Donny because he's the one that gets to be with Nami- I mean April at the end~! Right? I think that's how it went... aw well, we didn't have those shows back in France anyway.Don't you morons dare spill any of your drinks on my furniture or I'll kick your ass!


	10. Which Turtle

Sanji tapped his foot angrily as he stared down at three of the biggest morons he’s ever met. Luffy, Zoro, and Usopp all sat on their knees next to each other. Zoro stared at a spot on the floor while Usopp twirled a screwdriver around in his fingers. Luffy was pouting angrily and staring at Sanji.

 

“Why doesn’t Chopper have to-!”

 

“Cause _Chopper_ was doing his _homework_!”

 

“THEN WHY AM _I_ GETTING IN TROUBLE YOU SHITTY COOK?!”

 

“BECAUSE YOU WERE SLEEPING! YOU COULD HAVE AT LEAST _TRIED_ TO STOP THEM DOING… _WHATEVER_ THEY WERE DOING!”

 

“Chopper could have tried to stop us too!” Luffy interjected.

 

“Chopper is a thirteen year old among sixteen year olds. _Chopper_ shouldn’t have to babysit _you!”_

 

“But-!” Usopp attempted to counter Sanji’s argument.

 

“QUIT TRYING TO THROW ME UNDER THE BUS YOU ASSHOLES!” Chopper screamed from his spot at the table, where he was still trying to do his homework, interrupting Usopp’s attempts.

 

“Usopp! What were you doing to my TV?” Sanji looked to the first person in the row of dumbasses that he now had to chew out.

 

“It’s a piece of shit! You can barely see _anything_ on the screen, I was trying to fix it!”

 

“You couldn’t have waited until I got home to _ask?!_ ” Usopp grimaced but nodded. Sanji then turned his attention to Luffy, quirking a curly eyebrow and leaning down to meet the black-haired boy eye to eye.

 

“How much of my kitchen did you eat you little prick?” Luffy smiled innocently and then made a face resembling somebody who was thinking extremely hard, which Sanji knew wasn’t actually the case because Luffy didn’t have enough brain cells to think.

 

“Mmmmm… I think-“ Sanji slammed the heel of his socked foot on top of Luffy’s head, halting him in his musings.

 

“You don’t need to answer that, I’ve already checked. You ate nearly all the food I had ready to last us the entire night in what I’m guessing was ten minutes. That means that _you_ get to go down to the corner store, buy us more shit to eat, and _you_ get to pay for it all.” Luffy whined loudly, rubbing at the bump on his head and scowling at the blond.

 

“But I don’t wanna! Seven is when all the creepy guys come out… and it’s raining!”

 

“Well then you can take the Marimo with you! He’s even creepier than all of them and he’ll scare them all off for you, now go!”

 

“OI! I’m not going shopping _again_ shit head!”

 

“Quit complaining! You’ll be gone for twenty minutes, that is, as long as Luffy’s the one that leads, _not_ you. And as long as you run you won’t even get the perfect little lawn you call your hair wet.” Zoro growled and stood up, gripping onto the collar of Sanji’s dress shirt.

 

“I didn’t even do anything!” Sanji snarled in response and dug his fingers into Zoro’s tee, his eyes narrowed as he glared angrily into hazel eyes.

 

“You wanna go fuck face?! I’ll kick your ass all over again!” The two stood there, boring into each other’s eyes with their intense stares. Sanji could feel the muscles of Zoro’s chest tensing right beneath his fingertips. The two boys were a bit… stumped at this point. Nami usually came between them here and they’d back off. Of course, they did have their fights where they would actually start to punch and kick… and bite and scratch and claw at each other. But more often than not, it ended here. Sanji really didn’t wanna fight in his own house though so he shoved Zoro off of him and turned his back, walking towards the kitchen.

 

“Whatever… I’m gonna start on dinner right now, if you guys aren’t back by the time it’s done, you’re not getting fed tonight.” Luffy wailed and ran for the door, hurriedly yanking on his shoes and coat. Sanji heard Zoro scoff behind him and follow behind Luffy.

 

“Yeah right, there’s no way you’d actually make us go hungry.” Sanji scowled to himself as he rolled up his sleeves and started to pull ingredients out of the fridge. He’d have to feed five tonight so burgers made the most sense, but he’d been too busy with work yesterday to make any raw patties, and he didn’t use that frozen, store bought crap. _Damnit…_

 

“Oi! Get me ketchup chips!” Usopp called out to the two boys as they left. Zoro waved half-assedly and closed the door behind them. Chopper looked back to see the long nosed boy was still sitting on the floor, as if waiting to be dismissed.

 

“You can get up dumbass. Pretty sure Zoro brought over his game cube so if you wanna plug that into my shit TV, you can play it with Chopper while you wait for dinner.” Sanji heard Chopper cry out gleefully and hop off his seat, scurrying over to sit in front of the TV while Usopp set it up. Chopper began to shuffle through the games and giggled happily when he found one he liked particularly.

 

“You have Ninja Turtles?! That’s so awesome!” Chopper beamed and Sanji smiled. He remembered Zoro picking that one out himself when they were at the blockbuster earlier that day. He’d specifically mentioned how much Chopper loved Ninja Turtles and that the kid would most likely kill him if they didn’t buy it. It wasn’t like it was a special, limited edition game or anything like that, but Sanji knew the feeling of loving everything to do with certain characters.

 

Sanji hummed thoughtfully to himself as he tried to figure out what he should make. He didn’t have enough of one certain food in the fridge to cook anything. Well, he could probably make pasta, he had plenty of dried noodles. But he’d have to make a sauce and the only thing he could possibly have enough ingredients for was tomato sauce. Making spaghetti with Luffy in the house would just end up a huge mess. Ah fuck it, tonight would have to be pizza.

 

“Usopp, can you text the endless stomach and ask him what he and the Marimo want on their pizza?” Sanji asked as he yanked his Laptop out of the wall charger so he could look up the number for the nearest pizza place. Usopp nodded and paused the game, causing Chopper to whine and pout.

 

“Oh shut up, it’s not even that good of a game. What do you want on your pizza?” Usopp asked as his thumbs danced across his phone. He set it down for a minute as he waited for a response.

 

“I want pepperoni!” Chopper chirped happily and picked back up his controller, jumping up and down slightly as he waited for Usopp to un-pause the game. Sanji smiled to himself when he finally found the number of the pizza place nearby, he could probably ask Luffy and Zoro to pick it up on their way home, but their hands will already be too full with the stuff from the corner store. He could send Usopp to get it with Chopper.

 

“I’ll have vegetarian, and make sure there’s mushrooms on it, then Luffy can’t touch it.” Usopp said as refilled his orange crush. Usopp’s phone vibrated and he swiped his finger across the screen to check it. Sanji began to punch the numbers of the pizza place into his phone as he watched Usopp scan the text.

 

“They say what they wanted?” Sanji asked hesitantly.

 

“Yeah. Luffy said he wants every kind of meat they have and Zoro said he wants sardines and mushrooms. Clever boy that Moss man.” Sanji nodded as he put the phone to his ear, writing down the order on a scrap of paper with his free hand. He ended up ordering three pizzas. One pizza that was half veggie and half sardine and mushroom, one that was half pepperoni and half ham and pineapple, and a meat lovers, cause god knows that Luffy can put away an entire pizza all on his own. He gave his address and they told him they’d be there as fast as possible.

 

Sanji heard the game start back up as he started searching his cupboards for the paper plates he’d bought.

 

“You know, if we were Ninja turtles, Luffy would totally be Mikey.” Usopp pointed out as his fingers flailed wildly on his controller.

 

“You’d probably be Donny.” Chopper countered.

 

“What! No way, I’d totally be Leo! I am the great leader Usopp after all!”

 

“But you’re so smart and you’re always inventing things!” Sanji chuckled to himself as he listened to their conversation. He finally found the paper plates and threw them on the counter so he could unwrap the plastic.

 

“Well… I guess you’re right! I am the smartest one out of all of us after all!” Usopp boasted.

 

“Hmmm… But then who would be Raph?” Chopper asked, his eyes still glued to the screen.

 

“Obviously Sanji. He’s always angry at us for _something_ and Raph always hits Mikey when he’s being a dumbass, just like Sanji with Luffy. That and Raph is always challenging Leo’s leadership skills so they’re always butting heads. Leo of course would have to be Zoro then.”

 

“OI! You asshole, I will rip all of that curly fucking hair right outta your head! Besides, there’s no way Zoro could be Leo, he’d always get us lost.”

 

“See?! This is why you’re Raph!” Usopp barked back in response, leaning around the TV to look at Sanji briefly before returning to the game. Meanwhile, Chopper was giggling madly as he attempted to continue playing.

 

“Okay, if Zoro can’t be Leo, who is?” Chopper managed out as his fit ended.

 

“I think you would make a fantastic Leo Chopper.” Sanji smiled over his shoulder and watched as Choppers face lit up like a damn Christmas tree. His eyes shone and a grin spread across his face as he tilted his head from side to side in an obvious attempt to brush off the comment.

 

“Oh Sanji you bastard~! It’s not like saying that makes me happy or anything so just shut up~!”

 

“Well, then I guess Nami would be April and Zoro would be… Hmmm.” Usopp seemed to be thinking deeply about who Zoro would be in this alternate universe where they were actually the turtles that had been irradiated and trained by a rat to be ninjas.

 

Sanji heard the front door open and turned to see Zoro and Luffy walking in with arms filled with junk food and water dripping from their hair. Luffy had two plastic bags in each hand while Zoro was carrying two bottles of pop and a third bag. The boys toed off their boots and plopped the food on the floor next to Usopp and Chopper. They then returned to the front door to remove the rest of their outdoor clothing and Zoro shook his head as he tried to get some of the rain out of his hair. Luffy took off his thickly rimmed glasses and whipped them off with a cloth he had in one of his pockets.

 

“Yo! Zoro, did you get my chips?” Usopp asked as he reached for the bags next to him. Zoro scooped up the bags and plopped them on the couch, placing them just out of Usopp’s reach. Usopp frowned and Zoro reached into one of the bags, tossing a snack size pack of ketchup chips to the long nosed boy.

 

“Yeah, we got your chips! Shishishishishi!” Luffy laughed. Usopp glared at the green-haired bastard and threw the chips back at him. Zoro ducked just before they hit him in the face and laughed.

 

“Told you, he always makes the funniest face when you fuck with him.” Zoro said as he plopped down on the couch. “Oi! Cook! I got your shitty snacks now feed me!”

 

“Fuck off you caveman. You already know I ordered pizza and if you keep complaining, you’re going to be paying for it!” Zoro growled and picked up another game controller so he could join Usopp and Chopper in the TMNT game. Usopp attempted to pick back up their previously dropped conversation as Luffy took the fourth controller and sat down cross-legged on the couch next to Zoro.

 

“So, Zoro, who do you think we would be if we were ninja turtles?” Zoro gave Usopp a quizzical look but hummed thoughtfully.

 

“Well Luffy would be Leo, since he’s always been the leader…”

 

“Yeah! And Zoro would be Raph since he’s my left hand man!” Luffy mumbled through his mouthful of chips. “That and he’s always angry about _something_.” Zoro scowled and slapped Luffy in the back of his head, his character on screen spazzing out as he slammed on his controller.

 

“It’s right hand man you moron. And it’s funny you should say that since I was just saying that _Sanji_ would be Raph since _he’s_ always mad.” Usopp laughed. Sanji kicked at the back of Usopp’s head, laughing as the long nose’s character made a series of spastic movements similar to Luffy’s.

 

“Well, we can’t have two Raph’s, one of you will have to be Splinter or something.” Chopper said as he twisted his body as if to make the turtle on screen turn in the same way or kick just a little bit higher.

 

“Fine, I’ll be Splinter and Nami will be Shredder.” Zoro slurped loudly at his drink while the other three burst out into laughter. Sanji, on the other hand, wasn’t so pleased.

 

“YOU ASSHOLE! DON’T YOU INSULT MY BEAUTIFUL SWAN! She would obviously be April O’Neil! The beautiful and intelligent reporter.” Zoro snorted and Sanji’s frown deepened as he slammed his elbow into Zoro’s gut. Zoro slapped his hand over his mouth to keep from spitting up all of his soda and groaned painfully after he finished swallowing down the fizzy liquid. Zoro looked like he was about to _scream_ when he was suddenly interrupted.

 

_-We gonna rock down to electric avenue! And then we’ll take it higher! Ho! We gonna-_

 

“Oh shit, that’s mine.” Luffy pulled his phone out of his pocket and dragged his thumb across the screen, accepting the call and placing the phone to his ear. “Oh hi Nami! Shishishi! We were just talking about you! Who do you think you would be, April or the Shredder? … Why? Cause Zoro says you’re the Shredder and Sanji says you’re April and I can’t decide which is funnier.”

 

Sanji slapped the palm of his hand to his forehead as the conversation continued. He picked up Luffy’s controller, taking over his profile to keep the game going. Zoro was playing as Raph, Chopper as Mikey, and Usopp as Donny, leaving Sanji with Leo, which used to be Luffy’s character.

 

“No, I didn’t say you were the bad guy! Shredder is badass! If he weren’t the bad guy, you would definitely be him, that’s why it’s so hard for me to decide right now… well I’m Leo, Usopp is Donny, Sanji is Raph, Chopper is Mikey and Zoro is Splinter.”

 

“Dude, now that I think about it, it kinda makes sense for you to be Mikey.” Usopp said as he looked over at Chopper. “I mean, if we look at it personality wise, Luffy is more like Mikey while Sanji and Zoro are tied for Raph. I’m Donny but you don’t really match any of the characters personalities. But in terms of position, Luffy is obviously Leo. Sanji and Zoro would still kinda be tied for Raph-“

 

“And you’re still Donny since you’re such a fucking dork.”

 

“Thanks for your input Sanji.” Usopp glared at the blond before returning back to his screen. “Anyway, Mikey’s like the little brother of the group, just like you Chopper. Nami would totally be April if we looked at it in terms of position but personality wise-“

 

“Watch your mouth Long-nose, I can still kick your ass from where I’m sitting.” Usopp scowled again at Sanji.

 

“Can we just not talk about this anymore? Being the ninja turtles just doesn’t work with us since we’re so different from them.” Zoro interrupted as he mashed at the buttons on his controller. Sanji looked over at Luffy, who was exiting the room and locking himself in Sanji’s bathroom, phone still held up to his ear and free hand scratching the back of his neck.

 

Sanji furrowed his brows as he watched the boy leave, giving the rest of the group a similar look. Zoro shrugged while Usopp and Chopper continued to star at the screen, completely engrossed in their game. Sanji was surprised they hadn’t gotten board of it yet. It was just a Mortal Combat style fighter game except they were in a sewer and they were turtles. Every once in a while, Mikey would yell “Kowabunga Dude!” or Raph would yell something that sounded like a damned war cry.

 

“Do you guys wanna switch to a different game yet? I have more we could try, we don’t _have_ to play Ninja Turtles all fucking night. Or we could watch a movie?” Nobody said anything for a while, still staring blankly at the screen and Sanji attempted again. “A Ninja Turtles movie?”

 

“YES!” Chopper cried out as he jumped from his spot and dropped his controller on the ground. Sanji sighed in relief as Usopp and Zoro agreed with the child and Sanji was finally able to shut off the stupid game. Zoro was unhooking the game system from the TV so he could replace it with the DVD machine while Usopp and Chopper pulled all of their sleepover gear from the corner of the room to begin spreading it all out. Zoro pushed the coffee table out of the way while Usopp made a thick layer of blankets just wide enough so they wouldn’t have to be too close to each other while they were sleeping but they could still all watch the movie. One of them would probably end up on the couch anyway so there was still plenty of room. Sanji heard the bathroom door open and shut and turned to see Luffy.

 

“Oi, what was that about Luffy?” Zoro asked as he popped the DVD into the player under the TV. Luffy grinned broadly at him as he strolled into the kitchen.

 

“Nami just got me a job! Shishishishi!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time on Okonomi-Yaki!  
> Zoro: Oi, Love cook, mind telling me why you keep this creepy ass bear around? I know it's none of my business but it's starting to piss me off when I see it after bringing your drunk ass home every Sunday! Truth or dare, do you think you could try to drink a little less?! Lightweight...


	11. Truth or Dare

Zoro felt good. He couldn’t really explain why, but he just felt really good. Maybe it was the fact he was laying down on a floor covered in pillows and blankets at a ‘homework sleepover party’ with his, as they would say in Japan, nakama. Maybe it was the fact that he would be getting pizza for dinner. Or maybe! Just maybe, it was the fact that the curly-browed moron standing in the kitchen was now staring slack-jawed at Luffy as his own brains dribbled out of his ears.

 

Sanji looked completely baffled on what to say, just standing there gawking at this idiot that was now picking his nose with his pinky finger and rubbing the boogers off on his shirt. Zoro heard the buzzer to Sanji’s door go off and looked around. Somebody would have to answer that but Sanji seemed a bit busy.

 

“Good on ya Luffy, try not to get fired on day one.” Usopp said around a mouthful of ketchup chips. “If nobody’s gonna get that, I will.” Usopp reached inside his overnight bag, pulling out his wallet and walking towards the front door.

 

When he came back, pizzas in hand, everything was still almost the same as when he’d left. Except Chopper had jumped up from his spot on the floor and was now tugging on Luffy’s shirt as he asked question after question.

 

“Oh my god Luffy! You got a job?! Where? And how did Nami help you get it?” Luffy laughed as he ruffled Choppers hair.

 

“I don’t have the job yet, but Nami got me an interview.” He stopped and sniffed the air and after a moment, he was running full speed towards Usopp, long arms reaching out for the hot, steamy pizza. Usopp yelped and attempted to hold the boxes out of Luffy’s reach but failed and the boy ripped open the first box he could get his hands on, stuffing his face.

 

“You’re such a god damn animal! At least make sure it’s your pizza!” Usopp yelled as he put the rest of the pizza down on the kitchen counter. He opened up the other two boxes, sighing in relief when he realized Luffy had indeed grabbed his own pizza. Usopp dished himself up a slice and jumped onto the couch, reaching for his pathetic bag of chips again. Sanji snapped his jaw shut and shook his head. Zoro saw him pinch his own arm at least a dozen times and laughed to himself.

 

“Having a nightmare Love-cook?”  Zoro smirked as he grabbed three slices of pizza and heaped them on his own plate. Chopper followed behind and Zoro put two slices of the pepperoni on his plate. He was sure that the pepperoni was Chopper’s since that was what Chopper always got.

 

“Well it would make more sense than this being real! Everything that’s happening right now is just off! First, you take me shopping this morning without even complaining like an actually decent person, then it rains and I get next to no customers at the stand, and then _this_ -“ Sanji pointed to Luffy, who was still wolfing down his entire pizza, “gets a job!”

 

“Sanji, you went on a date with Zoro?!” Chopper asked innocently. Luffy burst out laughing around what was already his fourth fucking slice along with Usopp while Zoro’s entire face heated up. His breath caught in his throat and he was about to correct the child when Sanji did so for him.

 

“I did _NOT_ go on a date with that stupid fucking MARIMO!” Sanji’s face looked as red as Zoro’s felt and he stormed off into his bedroom. Zoro looked around the room and cleared his throat when he noticed everybody’s eyes were on him, as if they were waiting for him to say something.

 

“It was raining out so I drove him to the Superstore! That was fucking it, okay?! He needed some help unloading it so I stuck around for a bit!” Zoro defended, crossing his arms over his chest and turning to stare at the TV. Luffy was still laughing like a moron.

 

“You say that, but you’re turning pretty red Zoro.” Usopp said smugly as he leaned down from his spot on the couch. “There something you wanna tell us?” _Oh for fucks sake! First Kuina, now these assholes?!_

 

“Shut it Long nose.” Zoro grit through his teeth.

 

“Oi, no need to be so defensive, there’s no judgement here! You know I’m completely fine with it. Ace has got a boyfriend, Law’s got a boyfriend-“

 

“Law has a boyfriend?!” Chopper asked as he lay back down on the floor next to Zoro.

 

“Yeah, haven’t you seen how often Kidd goes in to see him in the medical room? More often than Luffy does that’s for sure, and that’s saying something. He never seems injured either. That is, until after he leaves. His face is red and his clothes are always just a little bit off. I’m sure Law does it on purpose too. If he really wanted to, he’s smart enough he could hide _all_ evidence that they were fucking around, but he doesn’t.” Zoro grimaced as he imagined the well composed doctor-in-training dragging the hulking red head into his office, closing the door and locking it behind him. _Jesus he’s examined me on the same bed he’s fucking his boyfriend on! Bet he gets some sort of sick thrill out of it._

 

“Anyway, what I’m trying to say Zoro is that it’s okay if you’ve got a crush on our chef.” Usopp shrugged, smiling before he shrieked and dropped his plate out of the way on the couch. Zoro came charging at him, ready to rip that stupid fucking nose right off his face. Usopp attempted to jump outta the way but Zoro was too quick and wrapped his arm around his neck, dragging him down to the floor. Usopp struggled in the strong grip but Zoro didn’t give him any leeway.

 

“If you ever suggest I want _anything_ to do with that stupid, swirly-browed, shitty ass cook again, I will beat you until you can’t tell the difference between your face and your ass!” Usopp nodded his head wildly but Zoro’s grip only loosened after tightening dramatically for a few seconds. Usopp took in gasping breaths when Zoro released him and patted him forcefully on the back. Usopp rubbed at his now sore throat, glaring angrily at Zoro and walking over to sit next to Chopper in front of them TV.

 

“So, Luffy, what kinda games we gonna play?” Zoro asked as he leaned back against the couch, he was still on the floor from where he’d tackled Usopp but that blankets that were spread out made it comfortable. He reached for his plate that he’d set on the coffee table that he’d pushed out of the way and stuffed a piece of crust into his mouth.

 

“I dunno, whatever they play at sleep overs! They play truth or dare, right?” Luffy pulled out a can of mountain dew from the fridge, cracking it open and sitting on top of Usopp’s back.

 

“If by ‘they’ you mean teenage girls, than yes.” Zoro grumbled.

 

“Oi! Truth or dare, is it ‘Be an Asshole to Usopp’ day?! Get off!” Luffy laughed and rolled off, making sure not to spill his drink as he did so. Luffy fixed his eyes on the TV and hummed happily.

 

“Truth or dare Usopp, can I have a piece of your pizza?” Luffy asked, his arms already snaking around to Usopp’s plate.

 

“Truth or dare, fuck off!” Usopp snapped as he swatted Luffy’s hand.

 

Sanji walked out of his bedroom, looking a lot less flustered and angry. He had on a pair of pajama pants, tied at his hips. They were decorated with pictures of fish and bubbles and he had a loose t-shit on with a phrase written in a language Zoro didn’t understand, looked like French though, he’d seen it often enough on food packages.

 

Zoro shook away his gaze from the cook and went to his backpack, grabbing his own pair of pajamas as he shoved past the blond to change in his room. Sanji was a pain in the ass but he had the right idea. Getting into his soft pajamas was a welcomed change to his chaffy jeans.

 

“Oi! I didn’t say you could go in there!”

 

“Relax moron, I’ve been in there at least ten times before, nothing in there I haven’t already seen.” Zoro saw Sanji’s jaw clench and gave him a questioning look. _What does he not want me to see..?_

 

“When have you been in my room?” Sanji asked tensely, his hands clenching into fists at his sides.

 

“All the times you passed out drunk and I drove you home, dumbass. Now go get some food before Luffy eats it all.” Zoro said flatly, closing the door behind him. He heard the chef begin to protest for a second on the other side of the door, but he gave up and Zoro heard his footsteps getting further away.

 

Zoro sighed and looked around the room. He began to take off his clothes as he tried to figure out what it was Sanji didn’t want him to see.

 

There wasn’t really much in there. There was the bed, the closet, the dresser… there was a laundry basket too. The only other thing that was in the room was the picture frame and… the bear? The creepy ass bear that sat on Sanji’s dresser. It had been there the first night Zoro dropped Sanji off, and it was still there now. Zoro was sure that it hadn’t even been touched.

 

Zoro slipped on his pajama pants and reached out to pick up the bear. He was right, it was covered in a layer of dust. Zoro wondered why Sanji would keep something like this in his bedroom, staring at him every night, almost like it was watching over him. Zoro brushed off the dust as best he could, but some of it had become imbedded in the fur. It would probably need to be washed to be completely cleaned. It wasn’t that the doll itself was creepy. Well it was. It’s was hard to put into words. Zoro just got a feeling off of it. Like something was wrong with it. Like when you see somebody on the news that died. They always post a really nice picture of them. Dolled up for prom or for their wedding, sometimes pictures of them just having fun with their friends. But looking at the picture always just makes you feel… uneasy.

 

Zoro was just about to set the bear down when he heard the door to the bedroom open.

 

“Marimo, hurry your fucking ass up, Luffy is getting-“ Sanji stopped mid-sentence. He’d slowly been opening the door as he was speaking and shoved it open the rest of the way when he saw what Zoro was holding. “Put. That. DOWN.” Sanji said as clearly and firmly as possible hissing through his teeth. Zoro slowly set it down, but he couldn’t help feeling the need to ask about it.

 

“Oi… Love-cook. Truth or dare… what’s wrong with it?” Zoro asked, his voice a quiet whisper, so that the others wouldn’t hear. Sanji walked over to where Zoro was standing and Zoro moved out of the way slightly so that Sanji could take his place in front of the bear.

 

“Not how you play the game dumbass…” Sanji pet its head lovingly, dragging his fingers behind its ears and letting his hand rest on its shoulders. Zoro was about to turn and leave when Sanji spoke again. “What… what makes you think something is wrong with it?”

 

Zoro shrugged. “I just get this feeling from it. It doesn’t look creepy or anything… just feels off.” Sanji chuckled a little and smiled. There was not a single bit of joy behind it though.

 

“I suppose it would… my mom gave it to me. She… died when I was a kid.” Zoro nodded slowly, not looking at Sanji directly for a while. When he did turn back to the blond, he was met with deep blue eyes staring into his own.

 

Sanji looked up at Zoro, reaching his hand out slowly and Zoro held his breath. Sanji looked up at Zoro for any sign that Zoro was gonna make him stop, but when he saw none, he continued. Sanji rested the tips of his fingers at the point where Zoro’s scar met his shoulder.

 

“Truth or dare… how did you get this..?” Zoro cleared his throat and touched at the point where the scar slid across his abdomen, trailing his fingers down and letting his hand rest on his hip.

 

“Well running away to another country isn’t exactly the safest thing for a kid to be doing… ran into a few crazies wielding weapons. When I did get cut up too badly, it’s not like I could go to a hospital, they’d turn me over to the cops and send me back. That’s why the scar looks so nasty, had to have some quack doctor from an outta the way town stitch me up.” Sanji slowly dragged his fingers down the scar until they stopped just above his navel. “It works out great for me though since the guys at school wouldn’t dare mess with somebody as gruesome looking as me.” Zoro laughed, attempting to lighten the mood.

 

“But you got away… how did it feel to get away?” Zoro had to think about that for a minute. He didn’t really remember what it was like to _get away_ , hadn’t thought about it in a long time.

 

“I uh… don’t really remember… Anyway, come on asshole! Luffy’s probably gotten back into your pantry by now.” As if on cue, Zoro heard a cupboard door slam shut a little too loudly and the sadness that had filled Sanji’s eyes was now replaced with the boiling, uncontrollable rage that was the Love-cook. Zoro smiled as the colour returned to Sanji’s face. Zoro didn’t like seeing him depressed like that. Not one fucking bit. Not like he cared for the chef one fucking bit either. Not at all.

 

“Luffy!” Sanji said loud enough for the entire apartment to hear. “I’m going to count to five. If I get to five and you have _anything_ in your hands that you didn’t buy at the corner store two hours ago, I will pureé you!” Zoro heard a short squeak from outside and the frantic sounds of doors being shut.

 

Zoro followed a loudly counting Sanji out of the room to see that everybody had changed into their PJ’s. Chopper was chowing down on the bag of gummy worms they’d picked up for him at the corner store, Usopp was sitting on the couch, orange crush in one hand and screwdriver in the other as it picked at the TV, and Luffy had both his hands covering his mouth, cheeks puffed out and crumbs at his feet. Sanji pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers and groaned.

 

“Luffy… did you eat _all_ of the cookies that I bought specifically for Chopper?”  


“ _WHAT?!_ So those _were_ for me!” Chopper screeched and glared angrily at Luffy, who chuckled and swallowed, no doubt erasing the last shred of evidence that the cookies ever even existed.

 

“Usopp, what did I tell you about _asking_ before fucking with my TV?”

 

“It was spazzing out again and I _needed_ to fix it, it was driving me crazy! We’d all finished getting into our pajamas while you two were doing whatever the fuck you were doing in your room so I got bored.” Zoro grunted in a half ass attempt to add to the conversation and walked over to plop himself back down on the couch. Zoro re-adjusted the glasses on his face and reached for his drink that was still on the coffee table where he’d left it. He’d been planning on getting glasses that fit better for a while now, but glasses were expensive and he didn’t want to ask Koshiro to pay for yet another thing that he didn’t _have_ to have. He would just have to try scrounging up whatever money he could.

 

“If you break that thing, you’re buying a new one.” Sanji shook his head, looking decidedly tired of chewing out the rest of the group and went to grab his pizza from the table. Zoro stretched his arms over his head as he yawned. _God how late is it? M’ fucking tired._

 

“Aww, is it past the little Grass-head’s bead time? Would you like me to sing you a lullaby after I finish my pizza?” Sanji cooed sarcastically, Zoro scowled as Luffy and Usopp burst out laughing.

 

“Shut up asshole. What time is it anyway?” Zoro grumbled through another yawn as he laid back against the soft, grey, welcoming cushions of the couch.

 

“Seriously dude, it’s like, nine. What the fuck is with you and your sleeping habits? You’re like Ace.” Usopp asked as he searched through the bags of food crowding the corner of the couch. “OI! You bastard! You did buy me a regular size pack of chips after all! How long were you planning on keeping this from me?!”

 

“A. Ace has narcolepsy, I just like to take naps. Totally different thing. B. Until tomorrow morning when I ate them in front of you.” Usopp scowled, ripping open his bag of ketchup chips and digging in.

 

“Zoro’s right. Ace’s narcolepsy is treatable and he does take medication for it. There’s no treatment for being a lazy ass though.” Chopper giggled and Zoro glared at the younger member of their group. His glare however wavered after less than a few moments when Chopper gave the green-haired boy one of those award winning smiles. Zoro smiled back and was rewarded with another fit of giggles from the kid.

 

“Thank god Ace has Marco to make him take his medication every day or he’d have gotten into some serious trouble by now. Shishishi.”

 

“Thank god Ace has Sabo to drive him around! He’s fallen asleep at the wheel more than twice since I’ve met him. _Once_ is too many!” Sanji growled as he pulled out the tie in his hair. “So how are we gonna do this? Who’s sleeping where?” Sanji asked as he padded over to the group.

 

“I’m gonna sleep _right here!”_ Luffy announced and rolled around in his spot for emphasis. Usopp shrugged and sat down next to Luffy, digging around under the pillows until he found the remote for the DVD player. Chopper walked up to Sanji and rocked back and forth on his feet shyly before speaking.

 

“I was hoping I could sleep on the couch, if that’s alright with you guys? I mean, gah- that sounds really selfish, its fine.” Sanji shook his head and smiled at Chopper, teeth so white that they resembled misshapen pearls gleaming slightly in the light of the room. _That guy has no right to have teeth so white with the amount he smokes._

 

“Its fine Chopper, you can have the couch. I like sleeping on the floor anyway, the fact that there’s actually pillows and blankets just makes it all the better.” Zoro pushed himself off the couch, his fingers digging into the cushions as he lowered himself. Zoro grabbed Chopper’s pillows and blankets and threw them haphazardly on the couch, Chopper could fix up his own bed anyway. Zoro sunk under the covers next to Usopp, dragging the blankets over himself and snuggling into his pillow.

 

“Well then I guess I’m stuck sleeping next to you Marimo. You better not snore or I’m gonna fucking kick your ass.” Sanji muttered as he walked over to his lamp and flicked off the switch, flooding the room with darkness, the light from the TV being the only thing adding any sort of light to the room.

 

“Zoro snores loud enough to wake the dead!” Luffy laughed from his spot next to Usopp and Zoro threw off his covers so he could lean over and whack Luffy on the head. Luffy yelped and pulled the covers over his head as some weak form of protection and peaked out every once in a while to check if Zoro was still there. Zoro fell back into his spot and snagged the remote out of Usopp’s hand, flipping on the movie and turning up the volume.

 

Four men in Ninja Turtles costumes you could probably buy in thrift stores nowadays immediately showed up on screen. Old eighties music played and from their stereo as Mikey pulled at a string of cheese on his slice of pizza, bringing it to the rubbery mouth of the costume and Zoro just couldn’t stand to look at pizza any longer. Zoro closed his eyes and he faintly heard the sounds of the rest of the group talking and laughing around him as he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time on Okonomi-Yaki!  
> Zoro: Would are you morons doing so early in the morning? No, I'm not snooping around in that damn Curly's house, the cabinet opened on it's own damnit! Hmm? What's that smell? Is that bacon, better nab some before Luffy eats it all. I could get used to mornings like this...


	12. Nails

“Shhh! Sh! You’ll wake him up!”

 

“Sorry! Shishishishi!”

 

Zoro groaned lightly and reached a hand up to rub at his eyes. _What fucking time is it?_ Zoro reached under his pillow and pulled out his phone that he’s placed there earlier that night. The screen lit up and he felt temporarily blinded as his eyes adjusted to the light he’d forgotten to dim.

 

“He’s waking up! Oh god, I’ve suddenly come down with a case of I-need-to-get-away-from-the-angry-Zoro disease” Hushed whispers continued to sound in his ears and Zoro squinted his eyes shut. When he opened them he was finally able to clearly see the time on his phone and he frowned deeply. It was 1:27 in the morning. It was _1:27 in the morning_ and he could hear the distinct voices of three-

 

“Holy fucking shit, would you guys just shut up?! I’m nearly done…”

 

-four idiots. Zoro groaned more audibly to signal his awakening and heard three short gasps followed by a certain foul-mouthed teen’s cursing. Zoro pulled at his legs and was surprised when he felt some resistance. His feet were cold and it also smelled strongly like… chemicals? Not exactly like bleach, but something close. It burned his nostrils and Zoro pulled himself up into a sitting position so that he could see what the four morons were doing.

 

Zoro looked at the sight before him and decided that he must be dreaming. He rubbed at his eyes, hoping that he would wake up to find himself back in his own house, in his own bed, and _not_ staring at four teenagers painting his fucking toe nails while he slept. Sadly, he did not wake up in his own bed.

 

Zoro wiggled his toes as he stared down at them, the nails were now a deep green that matched the colour of his own hair and there were small pieces of cotton ball in between each toe. Sanji was recapping the small jar of polish while Luffy, Usopp and Chopper stared wide-eyed at Zoro. Zoro took in a deep breath… before lunging forward, hands aimed to strangle the life out of whoever they caught.

 

“I’M GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU!” Zoro roared and Luffy yelped as Zoro latched himself onto the boy, his thick arms wrapping around a scrawny, rubbery neck as he gave a cry of war similar to the one Raphael was giving in the TMNT game they were playing just hours prior. Zoro saw Sanji jump out of the way, falling onto his back and into a fit of laughter.

 

“Damnit Sanji! If you hadn’t _insisted_ on putting on that last coat of paint, he wouldn’t have woken up!” Usopp wailed as Zoro reached for him with his free arm. He was _just_ able to duck out of the green-haired man’s reach.

 

“Aha! But now, it won’t come off for at _least_ a month!” Sanji continued to laugh and Zoro let his hold on Luffy drop as he pounced at the blond. Sanji jumped out of the way and ran towards that kitchen, hiding behind the small bar area. Zoro tripped over his own feet multiple times as he attempted to follow behind Sanji. The cotton between his toes impeding his process and he growled as he reached down to yank the damn things out. Zoro saw Sanji peak around the corner and the blond choked back a laugh.

 

“You know that if you pull those things out, the paint will get _all_ over your toes and it’ll stay there for weeks!” Zoro scowled at the blond and pulled away from his feet once again, waddling towards Sanji in the most threatening manner he could. He stopped when he reached the point where Sanji was now doing circles around the bar as Zoro followed behind weakly.

 

“At some point tonight, you’re gonna fall asleep. The _second_ that happens, I’m cutting all that pretty blond hair off your head.” Zoro threatened, his voice filled with malice as he pointed a finger in Sanji’s direction. Sanji chuckled and turned to walk back to the now scattered and thrown about blankets. Zoro looked down angrily at his toe nails which were now a deep, earthy green. _At least they aren’t pink..?_ Zoro weakly attempted to diffuse the anger broiling in his gut and failed miserably.

 

“Oh come on Marimo! You should just feel lucky that we didn’t paint your finger nails!” Sanji smirked as he sat back down in his spot on the blanket laden surface.

 

“Yo, Sanji. How did you know to put on the extra layer of paint anyway?” Usopp asked, his back facing Zoro as he attempted to fix the now mussed sheets of the bed.

 

“Are you kidding me? I was pretty popular with the ladies back in France, I will have you know.” Sanji beamed as he set the nail polish on the counter.

 

“Oh! So, you were like, the gay best friend?” Luffy asked, his voice innocent and oblivious.

 

“Yes I- Wh-what?! NO! Absolutely not!”

 

“Then why the hell else would they hang out with you?” Zoro smirked.

 

Sanji seemed to go silent for a moment, his brows furrowing in a short moment of uncertainty. His expression steeled a second later, but not before Zoro saw the change. “Well, _obviously_ it’s because they _love_ to be around me, unlike some cavemen that can’t say much more than ‘sleep’ and ‘food’!” Zoro growled in response and decided to just switch the topic.

 

“Why the fuck did you guys decide to prank _me_ anyway?!” Zoro snarled as he walked over to join the group.

 

“It wasn’t just you! Usopp fell asleep for an hour so we drew a set of balls under his nose!” Luffy said and the long-nose shrieked. Zoro turned to look at Usopp and stifled a laugh when he saw that there was, indeed, a pair of balls drawn on his upper lip. “And while Chopper was in the bathroom, I farted in his drink.” Luffy pointed to Chopper, who was currently taking a sip of said drink. Chopper’s eyes bulged out of his head and he made a garbled, choking noise before falling into a coughing fit.

 

“DAMNIT LUFFY! THAT’S DISGUSTING!” Chopper squealed as he walked over to the kitchen, dumping the rest of his drink in the sink and throwing out the plastic cup.

 

“And while Sanji was painting your nails-“ Luffy started, looking at Zoro even as Sanji turned to give him the most terrifying glare Zoro had ever seen the blond give. He must have felt the murderous aura coming off Sanji though because his next sentence was, “I did absolutely nothing and he should not be suspicious of anything at all.” Zoro smirked as the scowl on Sanji’s face only deepened. Chopper joined the group with a new drink in hand and sat down, giving Luffy as dirty a look as Sanji while Usopp ran to the bathroom to look in the mirror and, more likely than not, scrub the balls off his face.

 

Zoro smirked as he looked back and forth between Luffy, Sanji, and Chopper. “So… what have you guys done to Luffy?” Zoro could see Sanji visibly grinding his teeth as he glared at the black-haired boy.

 

“Nothing… not yet.” Sanji grit out, Luffy leaped away and Sanji soon followed, chasing the boy around the island much like Zoro had just attempted with the blond. “WHAT DID YOU DO YOU BASTARD?!” Sanji howled as he chased Luffy around the small apartment. Zoro watched the whole charade play out and fell back onto his place on the floor. He watched for about ten more minutes as Usopp came out of the bathroom, black ink smudged underneath his nose and Chopper tiredly sipped his new drink.

 

Zoro looked down at his toes and wiggled them slightly. Zoro didn’t often see painted nails up close but the work on them seemed practically flawless. Zoro huffed a laugh as he let his eyes fall shut and fell asleep to the sounds of Sanji chasing around a very unlucky Luffy. _Ha… gay best friend._

 

The second time Zoro woke up was due, not to the smell of chemicals and farts, but to bacon, eggs and hash browns. He opened his eyes blearily as he pushed himself up. Pulling his phone from under his pillow much like he’d done last night, he checked the time. 8:30. It was 8:30 on a weekend and the damn love-cook was already up and waking everybody else up along with him. But with breakfast. _Could get used to something like this…_

 

Zoro stood up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he made his way to the bathroom for his morning piss. The bathroom was much like the rest of the house. Empty except for the necessities. Shower, sink, bathtub, toilet, med cabinet. It was also the cleanest bathroom Zoro had seen in a long time. Zoro finished up his business and washed his hands in the sink, looking up at himself in the mirror to see the slight tinge of morning stubble. He also noticed that the med cabinet was slightly ajar.

 

Now, Zoro didn’t pry. Zoro _never_ pried. But he couldn’t help himself if the cabinet just _accidentally_ opened while he was washing his hands. Zoro stretched his arms over his head, turning to look and make sure he’d locked the bathroom door before snapping his arm out and opening the cabinet.

 

Nothing in there Zoro hadn’t expected really. Toothpaste, toothbrush, shaving cream, razor. Some girly looking creams. Zoro pushed the fruity looking lotions and hummed thoughtfully as he reached to the back and found multiple containers for prescription meds. Zoro pulled two of them out and looked them over. _Sertraline… Zolpidem…_

 

Zoro was interrupted from his train of thought when he heard Sanji shouting.

 

“COME ON! WAKE UP YOU LAZY ASSHOLES! BREAKFAST IS DONE!” Zoro growled as he put back the bottles, making sure to put everything back to the way he found it so as not to alert the blond to his _not_ prying eyes. Zoro closed the cabinet and shook himself off before exiting the bathroom.

 

Zoro wasn’t very surprised to see that Luffy, Usopp and Chopper had already grabbed their bowls of food and were scooping it desperately into their mouths. It confused Zoro slightly since he was sure he’d smelt bacon and eggs and that didn’t really go into a bowl. But he wasn’t one to complain when somebody made him breakfast, so he shrugged and grabbed one of the last bowls at the island.

 

“Wow.” Zoro said quietly to himself as he stared down at the meal. The bowl was filled with diced hash browns, eggs, bacon and all sorts of different coloured peppers. The bacon had been cut into bite-sized pieces, shredded cheese had been sprinkled lightly overtop and Zoro could see all sorts of different spices peppering the meal. Whether it was just salt and pepper or a mix of something more exotic, he didn’t really know, but it looked _good_. Zoro took a heaping spoonful into his mouth and noticed one taste he’d failed to spot when he’d looked it over.

 

“Oi, cook. You do remember that Luffy’s allergic to mushrooms, right?” Zoro asked as he took another bite.

 

“Of course I remember dumbass! What kind of a chef would I be if I didn’t? His doesn’t have mushrooms in it and I spread the extras evenly amongst your bowls.” Sanji said as he threw two pans into the sink and turned on the cold water, allowing the sink to fill as he grabbed his own bowl and took a few bites. He turned and grabbed a few mugs from a cupboard above his head and set them on the island before pulling a kettle filled with boiling hot water off the stove and filling them. He pulled a bag of coffee grounds with a weird label out of a different cupboard and scooped them into the drinks, stirring it in.

 

Sanji picked up one of the three mugs and took large gulps before setting it back down and motioning towards the group. “Well? Drink.” Zoro grunted before reaching out and grabbing one of the mugs, taking a large swig of the burning liquid and letting the bitter taste of it dance across his tongue.

 

“I see there’s none for ‘the captain’.” Usopp pointed out, grabbing his own mug and blowing at the steam before taking a tentative sip.

 

“Well, if ‘the captain’ would like to tell me what the fuck he did to me last night, maybe he would get some!” Sanji growled and Zoro chuckled lightly.

 

“What, you still don’t know what Luffy did?” Zoro asked as he took another swig of his drink. He knew he should probably have allowed it to cool for a little while but it’s not like drinking it hot would kill him.

 

“No! I _don’t_ know what Luffy did and I would appreciate it if the bastard would just tell me!” Luffy set down his now empty bowl and grinned.

 

“I told you, I didn’t do anything!” He announced as he ran into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. Zoro heard the door lock _click_ and looked back to Sanji, who was fuming silently as he ate his breakfast.

 

“Anyway, this is really fucking good Sanji, but you didn’t have to go all out on us for a breakfast.” Usopp said, pointing to his bowl of hash and eggs before scooping another heaping spoonful into his mouth. Sanji laughed as he took another drink of his brew.

 

“I didn’t go all out on you morons, this was just me using up all the leftover food in my fridge before it spoils. I got the idea from a restaurant. It’s nice because I could throw fucking _anything_ in there and it would taste good.” Zoro finished up his bowl and threw it in the sink filled with soapy water, chugging down the rest of his coffee and throwing the mug in alongside it.

 

The rest of the morning went without incident, everybody changing into their day clothes, fixing their hair and teeth, and packing up all their blankets and pillows. They decided to play a few more video games until around ten. Ninja Turtles had been played to death so they opted for a racing game instead. Unfortunately, Zoro tended to get lost on the one-way donut track and usually let the rest of the guys play while he just watched.

 

“So, Sanji, are you still gonna join us for drinks tonight with Ace? Sabo’s gonna be with us tonight and he’s bringing his girlfriend this time.”

 

“Yeah? The stand is set to be closed every Sunday anyway so it’s not like it would be very busy if I actually opened it today.” Sanji said around the cigarette he now had dangling from between his lips. “She pretty?” Sanji asked, hearts practically floating in the air around his head as he imagined what she must look like. Zoro had already seen her so he knew, but Sanji hadn’t met her yet since Sabo didn’t bring her around often. Not that he didn’t like to, just never really had the chance since… well since Ace always had his boyfriend over to ‘make sure he took his meds’ and then get him between the sheets.

 

“I dunno, maybe?” Luffy grumbled as he continued to play the game, twisting his body as if it would make his car turn any faster around the sharp corners.

 

“Seriously Sanji? You’re asking Luffy? I don’t think he even knows what pretty means.” Chopper laughed.

 

Luffy was silent for a few minutes before he spoke next. “… Nami’s pretty.”

 

“Well of _course_ my lovely Nami-swan is pretty! She is amongst the most beautiful in the worl- wait _WHAT?!”_ Zoro watched Sanji flail on the floor as he fell back and dropped the controller. Sanji’s car veered off screen and Zoro couldn’t help but feel like he was watching a damn sitcom show spitting out the same jokes every episode. All that was missing was a banana peel placed ‘oh so conveniently’ next to an open garbage bin filled with fucking pie or something.

 

“Dude, no she’s not.” Usopp laughed.

 

“You only think that because she’s, like, your sister. She’s hot.” Zoro grumbled.

 

Sanji whirled around to glare at the three men. “Zoro! You Neanderthal, don’t be so crass when referring to my beautiful Nami! She’s not ‘hot’, she is nothing less than a goddess among humans!”

 

“She’s a witch. She’s a hot witch, but a witch.”

 

“Like Hermione, from Harry Potter, right?” Usopp added.

 

“No, more like Bellatrix.” Zoro continued.

 

“OI! Nami is not a witch you bastard! And even if she were, Hermione suits her _far_ better than Bellatrix. Not that Bellatrix isn’t beautiful in her own way, she’s just not as charming and smart as my Nami~.”

 

“Well if Nami is Hermione, then that would make Luffy, Ron. But Luffy doesn’t look or even act very much like Ron at all… He looks kinda like Harry I guess, except his glasses are bigger.” Usopp mumbled.

 

“Oh no! We are _not_ doing this! We did the Ninja Turtles. We did the Ninja Turtles for hours. We are _not_ comparing ourselves to Goddamn Harry Potter now!” Sanji yelled and picked back up his controller, the race was already over and Luffy was setting up the next one. Sanji seemed to remember his train of thought and turned to look back at Luffy. “Did you just say you think Nami’s pretty?” Luffy hummed and continued to focus on the screen, his facing turning a slight pinkish colour. Luffy attempted to cover it up by grinning from ear to ear and giggling.

 

“Well of course she is! She’s the prettiest girl in the whole school, you said so yourself! Shishishishishi!”

 

“Yeah, but there’s a difference between _me_ saying it and _you_ saying it.” Sanji pointed out and Zoro watched as Sanji grinned like the damn Cheshire cat and started to nudge at Luffy’s shoulder with his elbow. “You’ve got a crush on Nami, don’t you?” Luffy’s blush deepened and he turned to look at Zoro for help. Zoro cleared his throat roughly and stretched his arms over his head.

 

“So! Luffy, has Sanji found that shit you took in his shoes yet?” Sanji’s eyes went as wide as dinner plates and he cursed as he sprinted for the front door. Sanji dropped to his knees and picked up his shoes, tentatively sniffing at them and reaching his hands inside. Usopp turned to Zoro and gave him a questioning look.

 

“Zoro… Luffy never-“ Chopper attempted to correct Zoro.

 

“Shh! Let him figure that out himself.” Luffy burst out laughing as he watched Sanji frantically checking every pair of his shoes and scowling back at the group.

 

“As soon as I find out what you fuckers _actually_ did, you’re dead!” Zoro felt more than he heard himself laugh as Sanji began to search through his house for the second time, trying to find whatever it was that Luffy did with renewed vigor. _If only the dumbass knew the prank is in his pocket._

 

“Oh yeah! Luffy, last night didn’t you say that Nami got you an interview for a job? Where’s that?” Usopp asked as Sanji began the search for his prank with renewed vigor.

 

“Oh yeah, it’s a surprise~!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time on Okonomi-Yaki!  
> Sanji: Waterpark? I wonder how Luffy's gonna feel about that. Oh well, if he doesn't like it, he doesn't have to go. Seriously Zoro, how did you manage to get THIS lost?! Maybe that brain of yours really has disappeared. No, it never existed in the first place. And stop comparing me to yourself, you've got no idea what my life was like... no damn idea!


	13. Burns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't know i you guys know this, but I gots a major thing for guys with glasses. So, like, if you're hot, I'm giving you glasses. Hahaha.

“Fuuuuuck…” Sanji groaned, his face planted firmly against his school desk.

 

He’d done it again. Zoro had even told him that this was happening. Every fucking Sunday. And he’d done it again.

 

He’d gotten drunk. Wasted even. He’d been having so much fun at Ace’s that he didn’t even realize it was happening. Ace tended to make that happen. Zoro had even told him at the sleep over on Saturday night that because he’d been getting drunk every Sunday, it was the moss-headed bastard that had to bring him home. Carry his drunk ass inside to his bedroom and get him out of his clothes and- gah!

 

It wasn’t like Sanji hadn’t been noticing that he was missing a layer or two when he woke up the next morning. Not that he was complaining, thank _fuck_ the Mosshead did it. He’d woken up the first night in his bedroom, sweating like a pig with his winter jacket still on and he hadn’t stopped complaining about it all Monday. Since then, he’d always woken up in his undershirt. His toilet seat was always open too, ready and waiting for him to hurl his guts outs.

 

Sanji felt a strong hand on his shoulder, it patted him gently then retracted just as quickly as it appeared. Sanji turned to see Zoro’s arm returning to its position at his desk, picking up his pencil and writing down… whatever the fuck he was studying. Luffy was giggling about something Usopp said, along with Chopper of course. The beautiful Nami was talking to Penguin about something that Sanji couldn’t quite understand because all he could hear was the sound of his own damn head pounding. In fact, the only person in the classroom that didn’t seem to be talking about _something_ was Zoro. It was kinda nice cause it gave him his own little corner to crawl into and die, but it also pissed him off cause it was the Mosshead that was giving him that.

 

“Okay students! It’s time for the morning announcements.” Shanks spoke from where he stood at the front of the classroom. “As I’m sure you’re all aware, we are closing in on the end of the year and that means it’s time for our end of the year trip. I believe we all voted last week and I’ve finished tallying it all up.” Shanks turned around, pulling out a piece of chalk with his good arm and reaching up to write on the board.

 

‘FISHMAN ISLAND WATERPARK’

 

Sanji leaned over so he could whisper in Zoro’s ear. “Looks like you get to show off those pretty toe nails of yours Marimo.” Zoro’s eyes shot open wide and Sanji could hear his teeth grinding. “You do know they have this thing called ‘nail polish remover’ and-“

 

“And Kuina won’t let me use hers! Don’t have enough money to buy my own either so I was scrubbing at them all night last night. That is, _after_ I dropped your drunk ass off.” Sanji scowled and turned back to the teacher.

 

“Coby will be handing out permission slips before the bell rings. The trip is on the fourteenth, so I need these back by this Friday! Since I’m sure that at least half the kids in this fucked up school don’t _have_ parents, just come to me and I’ll sign ‘em for you.” Sanji chuckled to himself as Coby passed him his permission slip. _Guess I’ll be going to him after school._

 

“Guess Ace will have to sign mine! Shishishishi!” Luffy laughed as he turned to look at Sanji and Zoro. “Man… I haven’t been swimming in so long that I’m pretty sure I forgot how to...” That’s right, Luffy hadn’t been swimming since the incident with Shanks. Sanji felt a little guilty, knowing that he voted to go to the water park. It’s not like the other options seemed like any fun though. Going to the movies or the museum of natural history was something he could do any day. Going to the water park for just ten bucks instead of the thirty they usually charge, that’s something he couldn’t pass up.

 

Luffy’s gaze lingered on Zoro for an extra moment and he gave a sly grin, pulling out his phone and waving it in Zoro’s direction. Zoro nodded, his expression changing only slightly as a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Sanji growled in frustration.

 

“What are you morons planning?” Sanji whispered harshly as he leaned forward. Luffy grinned at him and shrugged. Zoro was focusing on his work again and it made Sanji want to hit him even harder. Zoro doing _anything_ made Sanji want to hit him, especially Zoro plotting with Luffy and not telling him what’s going on.

 

Sanji watched Luffy kick at Usopp’s feet, getting his attention. Usopp turned to look at Luffy who winked, signaling… something. Usopp smiled and nodded vigorously, looking quickly back towards Sanji for a moment before returning his gaze to the front. Whatever it was, the three were not about to tell him, so he might as well just sit and wait.

 

“Mr.Shanks! Is it mandatory to attend the trip?” Perona’s voice which was absolutely not the least bit shrill sounded next to him.

 

“Oh thank god- Perona, if you would like to stay home, please do so.” Perona frowned, her nose scrunching and make-up laden eyes squinting angrily.

 

“Not _ME!_ I was talking about him!” Perona thumbed in Sanji’s direction. Sanji wanted to curse her out for being so blatantly rude, but he would never be so crass towards a lady. “He’s always starting up fights with Zoro at school, how do you think that’s gonna pan out at a damn waterpark?” Of course she would blame Sanji for the two’s fighting. Shanks shook his head and looked at Sanji.

 

“Sanji, swear on the bible that you and Zoro won’t kick each other’s asses at the waterpark?” Shanks asked sarcastically.

 

“I promise.” Sanji turned to look at Zoro. “As long as the Mosshead doesn’t do anything to _deserve_ an ass-kicking.” Zoro gave Sanji the most deadpan expression he’d ever seen the moron give.

 

“I swear. I won’t do a thing.” Zoro smirked and Sanji suddenly felt his phone buzzing in his pocket. Probably a text. Even if it’s not, the things on vibrate so it’s not like it’s going to start-

 

_“AHHHHH~!!”_

 

 _Holy shit is that MOANING coming from my fucking phone?! Did they honestly change my ringtone to something as fucking CRUDE and THAT?! NO!_ Sanji fumbled frantically to pull his phone out of his pants, swiping his thumb across the screen to shut it off and don’t think for a _second_ that he didn’t see the caller ID. Sanji lunged forward to wrap his hands around Luffy’s scrawny neck as laughter poured from the boys mouth. Sanji could vaguely hear the sound of Zoro’s laughter next to him but was too focused on strangling the life out of Luffy to kick the shit out of the Mosshead.

 

“Do you see?! He’s a menace!” Perona squealed as she waved towards the blond. When Shanks didn’t answer, she gave him a disgusted sneer. “Mr.Shanks are you even seeing this?!”

 

Shanks was mousing around on his computer, both eyes completely focused on the screen. He hummed as if he were attempting to acknowledge Perona’s rant in the most half-assed way possible. “Sorry Perona, I was a bit busy focusing on important teacher things.”

 

Kidd raised his hand but didn’t wait for Shanks to give permission before speaking. “Shanks, _some_ people in this class aren’t the strongest of swimmers, is it really such a brilliant idea to be going to a waterpark at all?” Law hissed at the redhead and Sanji guessed that one of the people Kidd had been referring to happened to be the doctor-in-training himself.

 

“If I can swim with one arm, they can swim with two. They’ll either learn by next Friday or they’ll wade in the kiddie pool.” Shanks mumbled the last part as he took a drink of his coffee. Sanji loosened his grip on Luffy’s neck and fell back into his seat, allowing Luffy to breathe again. Luffy coughed a few times before he turned to glare at Kidd.

 

“Oi! Just because I can’t swim doesn’t mean you have to point it out!” Luffy scolded.

 

“You moron, I wasn’t talking about you! I was talking about him!” Kidd shouted and pointed at Law.

 

“I can swim just fine you Brute!” Law argued, his inked hands clenching into fists.

 

“Then why do you always bring your floaties when we go swimming?” Kidd asked with a smirk.

 

“It’s not a ‘floatie’, it’s an inflatable lounger. Just because I prefer that over actually swimming doesn’t mean that I can’t swim at all.” Kidd threw his hands up in false surrender.

 

“Alright, alright! Well, we’ve practiced CPR enough times for me to save your ass in case you do drown.” Kidd laughed as Law’s face turned an angry red but stopped abruptly when a fist landed squarely on the back of his head. “FUCK! What was that for Killer?!”

 

“You were being a jackass!” Killer shouted. Sanji sighed as he massaged the bridge of his nose. _This has to be the most chaotic class in the whole damn school._

 

_*BRRRRRRRRRRR*_

 

The first two classes went by easily, and lunch time came and went without much incident. Well, other than Luffy attempting to eat everything in sight without even pretending like he was gonna ask. His third block class went by easily as well. His last class was where everything went to shit.

 

“That’s the wrong way.” Sanji pointed out as he watched Zoro turn down a hallway that definitely did not lead to their Japanese class. Zoro stopped in his tracks and turned to glare at the blond.

 

“And just how long have you been going here Curly? A few months? I know this shitty ass school a lot better than you!” Zoro growled as Sanji approached him and gave him an amused look.

 

“It’s just that ‘the hallways keep moving’, right?” Zoro’s jaw clenched and he stared out the window. Sanji scratched at the back of his neck and played with his ponytail before an idea popped into his head. “Alright then, lead the way!” Sanji stood expectantly at Zoro’s side and fixed his schoolbag over his shoulder. Zoro looked down the different hallways before deciding on one and nodding in that direction.

 

Since Sanji had known him, the Mosshead had always gotten lost easily. Sanji had always tried to prevent it from getting out of hand. He wasn’t sure why he didn’t, probably out of pity. He’d never seen how lost Zoro could actually get himself without help. He’d heard stories of course. Zoro’s sister had even told him once that Zoro ended up in another city once trying to get to school, had to call for a ride. Sanji never imagined that Zoro could get _this_ lost trying to find _one_ room in _one_ building.

 

“Well. It’s not the language classroom.” Sanji murmured as he stared up at the sign he knew so well. Zoro was seething beside him and kept his head down as Sanji stuck a smoke in his mouth and lit it up. “If you wanted me to make you lunch, you coulda told me.” Sanji smirked as a slight blush spread across Zoro’s cheeks and the bridge of his nose.

 

“I DIDN’T COME HERE ON PURPOSE JACKASS!” Zoro shouted as he squatted down and ran his fingers through his hair.

 

“I don’t know whether to be appalled or impressed.” Sanji muttered as he threw his schoolbag over to the side and made his way inside the _All Blue_. “Well then, sit down.” Zoro looked up and Sanji smiled as he pulled out his tools. “As long as we’re here we might as well eat something.” Zoro stood up slowly as Sanji began prep work. “It’s fine right? You get lost in that school all the time, so it’s not like this will be the first class you miss. And I don’t got anybody at home to yell at me for skipping ‘cept me.”

 

“Couldn’t you just lead us back to school and bitch at me about getting lost?” Zoro asked as he sat down at one of the bar stools. Sanji hummed as if he were thinking about it before using a ladle to whap Zoro on the head. “Fuck!”

 

“No, that wouldn’t be any fun. Besides, I haven’t skipped school since I got to this stupid country and I’ve definitely earned it.” Sanji smirked as Zoro rubbed at the bump on his head.

 

“Did you used to skip school a lot back in fru-fru land?” Zoro grumbled.

 

“You’re damn right I did! I spent almost every day that I should have been at school taking beautiful ladies out to fantastic places!” Sanji cooed with hearts in his eyes.

 

“You mean you would sneak away and smoke alone.” **_Whap._** “OW! Would you quit fucking hitting me with that thing?!” Sanji retracted the ladle and bounced it on his shoulder.

 

“You know… if you wore your damn glasses more often, you’d be able to see where you’re fucking going… and when I’m about to whack you. Until you learn that, I’m not helping you anymore.” Sanji stirred the batter and started to add the different kinds of ingredients that Sanji had learned where Zoro’s favourite. “Okay, that’s a lie, but I won’t help you near as much.”

 

“First of all, I know that wearing my glasses would be easier for me, I choose not to. And second, if it’s such a pain in your ass, why do you keep helping me?” Sanji spooned the batter onto the grill, giving himself a minute or two to actually focus on talking with Zoro while the first side cooks.

 

“Isn’t it obvious? I just can’t stand watching you get your sorry ass lost over and over again.” Zoro glared at Sanji in a way that would seem threatening to anybody but those that actually knew him. “I don’t see why you don’t wear your glasses, is there something wrong with them?”

 

“That’s none of your business.” Zoro said flatly. Sanji almost sighed in relief at the opportunity that had been presented itself to answer the question that had been itching at his brain for months now.

 

“Oh! So you’ll tell me your life story but you won’t tell me why you won’t wear your fucking glasses?!”

 

“Glasses are different… I’m not ashamed of my past unlike some people. Keeping it all bottled up inside won’t change that it happened.” Sanji could sense where Zoro was going with this. “I may not look like it, but I know when I need help and when I need to talk to somebody.”

 

“Well that’s all well and good, but it’s not like we’ve even known each other for all that long. You might as well be telling a stranger about how you moved yourself over here illegally.” Sanji grumbled. “Why talk to me and not Luffy or Usopp?” Zoro gave Sanji a look that told him the dumbass had no idea what Sanji was taking about,

 

“You’re hardly a stranger cook… and that’s usually what I do, but the shit they went through was different than me so they don’t really understand… not… not like you.”

 

“And what makes you think I understand the shit you went through..?” Sanji murmured as he glared at Zoro, busying himself with chopping the cabbage he’d be using for the stand after school. The okonomi-yaki cooked slowly beside him as he chopped and shredded. Although cooking usually helped to calm him down, he was becoming increasingly tenser as the conversation continued.

 

“The fact that you have such a hard time trusting people. That’s one.” Sanji’s shoulders tensed. Zoro wasn’t wrong… but he absolutely hated when other people pointed out shit like that. “At first, I refused to trust anybody. It’s what I had been used to after months of hopping from boat to train to car.” Zoro pushed around some things on the bar as he spoke. “It was hard to trust, but you can’t close yourself off from everybody, that’s something I learned from Luffy. Although, I wouldn’t be as trusting as Luffy. That would make me pretty dumb.”

 

“That it? You feel some sort of kindred spirit in me because we both have trust issues?” Sanji grumbled sarcastically. “Because we both had such fucked up families that we had to leave? Because we both fucking hate our birth parents?!” Sanji growled.

 

“We both had to leave our countries cause of shit our parents did to us. Except my parents are still walking around town like they didn’t do a damn thing wrong. They both treated me like I was some fucking monster and they were still able to pretend like not a damn thing happened… Yours- well… at least people know what your dad did… he got caught-”

 

“Well he didn’t get caught soon enough!” Sanji shouted as he flipped over the pancake he was making. “It was too fucking late! Now she’s gone!” Sanji felt himself beginning to shake violently and his fingers tightened on his tools. “She’s gone and he’s back out and he’s probably looking for me right, fucking now a-and- And-!” Sanji dropped his spatulas and ran his hands through his hair, the ponytail pulling itself loose and falling uselessly to the ground. “At least you got away…”

 

“Shit, cook- I didn’t mean…” Sanji felt his throat beginning to clench and he squeezed his eyes shut as Zoro seemed to scrabble for a way to calm the cook down. Sanji was already beginning to feel embarrassed for how he was acting and his entire body was burning, hundreds of different emotions swirling around like a storm in his mind.

 

_-“You bastard! Get your hands off her! She… She didn’t do anything!”_

_“Get off me you little shit! Who do you think you are anyway, Curly-face to the rescue?! Fuck off!”_

_“Sweetie… I’m fine, you- you don’t have to protect me…”-_

 

Sanji slammed his palms down and heard something hiss and burn. He could feel himself sweating and his breathing was getting out of control. Sanji was so pissed at himself for becoming so emotional. It hadn’t gotten this bad since the day he pulled that damned bear out of that box. Even then, he hadn’t had any flashbacks. He wasn’t in public last time either.

 

It was because of Zoro. Because that damned ass just had to keep fucking pushing…

 

_-“You see what you’ve done now? You little freak?! This is COMPLETELY your fault!”_

_“NO! No, it’s not! You did it! You… you did it… BASTARD!”-_

 

“Oi! Cook! YOUR HANDS!” Pain registered somewhere in the back of his mind but he was too far gone at that point. All Sanji could think about was how tempted he was to scream, even though he was in public. Even if it was the middle of the fucking day. Sanji wanted nothing more than to just empty out his lungs and scream until his voice was hoarse, until he passed out.

 

But he was frozen in place. His lips refused to move and his fingers refused to do as much as twitch. His eyes remained tightly shut and his teeth were ground together to the point where he was almost turning them into dust. The only part about him that was actually moving were his legs, which were shaking so violently that if Sanji let go of whatever the fuck it was he was holding so desperately onto, he was sure to instantly crumble to the ground.

 

“SANJI!”  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time, on Okonomi-Yaki!  
> Sanji: Fuck, FUCK, FUCK! God fucking damnit! What the fuck am I supposed to do now?! Zoro, since when do you smoke?


	14. The Truth

Sanji felt tears welling up in the corners of his eyes and refused to open them. He kept his head bowed and his teeth ground together. Sanji could hear frantic footsteps and he was suddenly shoved away from the stove. Sanji yelped as a searing, burning pain itched at his palms and he landed flat on the floor. Sanji crossed his arms over his chest as hot tears streaked down his face.

 

Sanji could faintly hear the sounds of somebody rummaging through his fridge and the clinking of ice, but he was too lost at this point to give a shit. The pain in his hands was nothing compared to the throbbing in his head and the ache in his chest.

 

_-“This is COMPLETELY your fault!”-_

 

Sanji suddenly felt warm hands grabbing at his wrists and bringing his hands together. A bag of ice was placed in between his palms and Zoro held his hands tightly in a silent plea to _not_ let go while he did something. Sanji brought his hands to his forehead and gripped tightly to the plastic bag as his eyes burned and his breath hiccupped.

 

Cupboards were flung open until Zoro found whatever it was he was looking for and ran back to Sanji. Memories continued to slash through Sanji’s mind and he cringed.

 

“Th-the food…” Sanji rasped through what had to be the most embarrassingly pathetic fit he’d ever had in front of somebody since he was a kid.

 

“I don’t give a shit about the food you dumbass!” Zoro yelled as he scrambled to unlock a medical case he was able to locate. “You refuse to use your hands in a fight or you’ll risk fucking them up for when you cook, and then you do this shit?!” Sanji’s hands were torn away from him and his right hand was opened up. Sanji felt the burn cream he always kept in stock squirted onto his hands and it was rubbed into his palms gently.

 

The two were silent as Zoro treated his wounds, slathering them in heaping amounts of burn cream before wrapping them in gauze and bandages. Sanji tried his best the entire time to keep from completely losing it and absolutely wailing and cursing just being alive at that moment. _Damnit…. Damnit…. DAMNIT!_ Sanji’s breathing was beginning to even out but he was still hiccupping and tears continued to spill from his red, swollen eyes.

 

The bag of ice was placed back in his bandaged hands and Zoro left him to sit on the floor. For a moment, Sanji thought he would just leave him like that. Leave him to pick up his shit and clean up his restaurant while his eyes still stung and his head still throbbed.

 

“Open.” Sanji opened his eyes and looked up into Zoro’s. He was holding what Sanji recognized as the pain meds he kept in the med kit in front of the blonds face. In Zoro’s other hand was a glass of water with a few ice cubes in it. Sanji opened his mouth and allowed Zoro to slip the pills into mouth. He felt the rim of one of a glass placed to his lips and grit his teeth.

 

“I don’t need your fucking help… I can do it myself bastard…” Sanji’s voice was tense and rough, but he tried to hide it as best he could. He knew he looked weak, and sounded weak too. He would never be able to live this shit down. Letting Zoro see him looking so pathetic, letting Zoro treat him so gently as he tended to the wounds he’d given himself while brooding over his shitty life.

 

“You can kick my ass later… but right now, just drink.” The medication sitting on his tongue was starting to disintegrate and was leaving an awful taste in his mouth. Sanji gripped onto the ice tighter as he allowed Zoro to tip the glass. Cold water flowed down throat and he swallowed the pain meds before Zoro pulled the glass away. Sanji was silent for a moment before looking back up at the stove.

 

“The-”

 

“I already turned off the burner and plated it you dumbass. Quit worrying about it, it’s not even burnt. Unlike your hands.” Sanji sat quietly and stared down trembling, numb hands. _I got them so fucked up they went numb… just fucking great. I have a fucking stand to run, I have fucking money to make, how am I supposed to-_ “Would you cut it out!” Sanji’s eyes bulged as he stared up at the now furious Marimo. “I can see it in your damn face, you’re worrying about shit you shouldn’t be! Would you think about yourself for just a second?!”

 

Sanji’s throat clenched and the tears that he’d finally gotten under control threatened at his eyes again. Zoro dropped to his knees and placed his hands on Sanji’s shoulders, shaking him lightly.

 

“What did I just fucking say… huh? You can’t keep this shit in! Do you see what it does to you?! What if I hadn’t shoved you off?! Would you have just sat there like a fucking loon and let your hands completely fry? Aren’t they important to you dumbass?! Don’t you need them to cook?!” Tears rolled down Sanji’s cheeks and the blond felt his heart throb with a dull pain.

 

Zoro’s grip on Sanji suddenly weakened, as if he’d just realized something, or done something he shouldn’t have. “I… I pushed you too far, I’m sorry….” The last words were weak and Sanji was taken aback by how pleading they sounded.

 

“Yeah… me too.” Sanji looked down at his hands as he moved the ice around and whispered the next thing almost too quietly to hear. “I think… I ought to talk about what happened.” Zoro nodded quietly and pushed himself up from the ground.

 

“Yeah, but later… I don’t want to see you like that again, especially not so soon.” Zoro sat down again across from Sanji with a plate in his hand and three or four toppings in his arm.

 

Sanji watched silently as Zoro covered the pancake Sanji had made for him in sauces and seaweed flakes. His hands throbbed and he was thankful that Zoro wrapped them as professionally as he did or he probably would have been in even greater pain at this point. He probably would have questioned how Zoro knew so much about treating wounds, but the moron had now reminded him more than once that he’d been on the run for a long time, getting into fights and being forced to fix himself.

 

His hands. Sanji was relieved that the wrapping covered them completely or he’d be forced stare at the blistering mess that were no doubt his palms. His hands weren’t on there for too long… but it was still more than a first degree burn. He could feel everything now. The numbness he’d felt for a short while was a temporary relief that passed almost as quickly as it came. Sanji guessed that he’d only felt that way due to the emotional state he’d put himself in.

 

Definitely a second degree. The smell of his burnt flesh assaulted his nostrils, mixed with the smell of the cream and the food he’d prepared. It was sickening. Sanji felt like throwing up.

 

But he couldn’t do that. Not after he’d already looked so damn weak in front of Zoro. He couldn’t allow it to become any more humiliating. He’d been letting his guard down around him lately, giving him bits of information about his past that, although small when compared to the staggering amount of shit that happened to him, were still too much to be giving to some guy he only knew for a few months.

 

At least that’s what he should be thinking. He should be refusing to give the dumbass anything else, let him know another damn thing about his business, about his life.

 

But here he sat, in front of the man that should be laughing at him, taunting him for being weak in front of him. His sparring partner. His, it was kinda funny to think of it this way, but in a way, his enemy. Zoro was staring down only at his food as he ate silently. Sanji knew there was no doubt he could smell the concoction of burnt skin and medical oils, but he continued to eat.

 

“O-oi… you don’t have to-”

 

“Yes I do. You and I both know that.” Zoro glanced up at the cook as he took in another forkful. “You’re just gonna throw it up if you eat it, with the condition you’re in and you would kill me if I let it go to waste.” Sanji hung his head and looked on the floor where he’d dropped his smoke in the chaos. Zoro must have stomped it out already for him. Fuck, he needed another.

 

“What makes you think I’d throw it up?” Sanji weakly attempted to continue their conversation. Zoro’s chewing slowed as he thought of a good way of wording what he wanted to say.

 

“It’s like… if you were covered in blood.” Sanji raised his eyebrows. _Real great fucking start Zoro._ “You can smell it really strongly and you know it’s coming from you. You wouldn’t just pick up a burger and stuff it in your mouth. Even though there’s nothing wrong with the food-” Zoro took another bite. “-it’s almost like the blood’s soaked into it. All you can smell is blood and putting anything in your mouth at that moment just feels dirty and wrong and makes you gag.”

 

“And there was absolutely _no_ other way you could have put that?” Sanji asked sarcastically. He wasn’t really in the mood to have one of his usual fights with Zoro at the moment, but it felt right anyway to attempt at pissing him off.

 

“You call me a brute every other day and then question why I can’t come up with some sort of fancy explanation? You really are as dumb as you look.” Sanji heard plates and silverware rattle and looked up to see Zoro had finished eating. His plate was sitting on the floor next to the discarded cigarette. Zoro got up to his knees and leaned forward, sticking his hand in Sanji’s shorts pocket.

 

“Oi! What do you think you’re-?”

 

“Getting myself a smoke. Maybe I’ll share it with you if you’ll shut your damn mouth.” Sanji watched Zoro rifle through his pocket and pull out his cigarettes and lighter, sticking one between his lips. Zoro lit it up the way Sanji had done a hundred times in front of him, and a thousand times alone.

 

“Since when do you smoke?” Sanji asked and swallowed dryly. Zoro took a drag, falling into a violent coughing fit and holding the smoke as far away from himself as he could. Sanji smirked as Zoro’s tongue lolled out of his mouth as if it would help to get the taste out. Zoro gathered himself and took a deep breath as he glared daggers at the cancer stick between his fingers.

 

“Since the strongest guy I know broke down in front of me…” Sanji bit his lower lip and Zoro turned his gaze from the cigarette to Sanji’s eyes. “Since my best fucking friend lost it!” Sanji’s breath caught and he made a choked noise as he attempted to hold back another round of fitful sobs. Once was fine, thank you. Breaking down in front of Zoro a second time, he didn’t want that.

 

Zoro held the cigarette next to Sanji’s lips and Sanji parted them. He sucked the smoke into his lungs almost desperately before Zoro pulled it away. Sanji kept his lips sealed for a moment as he savoured the ashen air filling his lungs. Sanji groaned as it left his lips and billowed into the air and he felt himself slightly more grounded than he had been seconds previous.

 

“Best friend huh… what about Luffy?” Zoro helped Sanji take another drag.

 

“Luffy’s different. I admire him and follow him as my leader.” Zoro attempted to take a second drag of the smoke, succeeding in keeping himself from choking as much. “He’s something special, but not you. You’re… unreal." Sanji nodded and felt a bit of colour come to his face. _So that makes me something even more special?_

 

Sanji’s never really called anybody an actual friend before. Sure, he’d had about ten or so people at his old school in France that pitied him enough to eat lunch with him. Heard his sob story and wanted to be known as the guys that befriended and helped him recover from his trauma. None of them could he really call an actual friend.

 

And here sat Zoro, calling Sanji the best friend he has.

 

“Ow! The fuck was that for?!” Sanji growled when he felt Zoro flick him in the center of his forehead.

 

“Best. Fucking. Friend.” Zoro annunciated every words. Sanji’s face burned at the sudden closeness between the two and the words Zoro spoke. He turned his head, hoping his bangs would cover it up.

 

“I heard you the first time bastard!” Sanji stared at the corner of his stand for a while before whipping his head back around and staring Zoro directly in his eyes. “You’re my best friend too damnit!” Sanji felt his face growing even hotter than his hands had been but refused to look away. _I don’t know what it’s like to have a best friend and I don’t know if calling you that would be doing it justice… but whatever you are to me, I don’t want to lose it!_

 

And then, Zoro smiled. Not like he’d seen before though. Not like the way he smiled when he was laughing with his friends or when he was thinking about something he liked. His teeth almost shone and his cheeks pinched where they met with the corners of his mouth. The blinding smile went from ear to fucking ear and if Sanji was standing, he’s sure his knees would have given out.

 

He’d _never_ seen Zoro smile like that. Not at anybody. And then it was gone again. Zoro stood up and turned his back to Sanji, messing with something on the counter of the stand. Sanji barely got a glance at what he was doing before Zoro was wrapping his arm around Sanji’s waist as he hoisted him up.

 

“Wh-what are you-?!”

 

“Well duh, I’m closing the stand and taking you home.”

 

“OH NO YOU’RE NOT! Not with your damn sense of direction! And I can walk on my own you asshat! It’s my hands, not my legs that are burned!” Sanji’s face flushed at the contact and Zoro just shrugged his shoulders as he continued to lead Sanji out of the stand. Zoro picked up his and Sanji’s bags and threw them over his other shoulder as if they both weren’t filled to the brim with heavy-ass textbooks. Zoro stood still for a moment as he rifled through his bag and Sanji took the time to turn back to the stand and look at the sign Zoro had placed there.

 

_-Shitty cook got burnt cooking for his boyfriend. Closed until he gets his shitty act together-_

 

“OI! YOU BASTARD! DON’T GO WRITING SHIT LIKE THAT FOR OTHER PEOPLE TO SEE!” Sanji screamed as his face burned hotter and hotter and he thrashed in Zoro’s arms. Zoro turned to look at him as if he’d lost his mind as he slipped his glasses onto his face. Zoro looked over at the sign and laughed. “I’M A MAN OF THE LADIES THROUGH AND THROUGH! IF YOU PUT THAT UP I’LL NEVER BE ABLE TO FLIRT WITH MY PRETTY FEMALE CUSTOMERS SERIOUSLY!”

 

“I can see why Kuina says it so fucking often now! Your face has gone so red it looks like your damn head is gonna pop off!” Zoro’s laughter roared as he continued to walk forward and Sanji finally freed himself from the Mosshead’s grasp. He wanted so badly that he could clench his hands into fists and clock the bastard. His fingers twitched in attempt and he gasped at the pain that followed. Zoro turned and seemed like he was about to say something, but stopped himself. It’s not like there was anything else Zoro could do at this point, he’d treated it all properly and wrapped it up already. Doing anything more would just seem like he was treating Sanji as fragile. Sanji appreciated that he knew where to stop.

 

“You could always just knock it down jackass.” Zoro pulled the cigarette from between his lips where he’d left it and offered Sanji a drag. Sanji ground his teeth together as he stared at it. Eventually, he caved in. He craved the smoke more than he the fight.

 

‘Could always just knock it down’. Yeah right. No way would Zoro let Sanji ruin his joke that quickly. Sanji _could_ knock the stupid sign down but his hands hurt too much for that and he needs to put a sign up whenever he leaves the stand. He would end up having to ask Zoro to put up his usual sign and the bastard would just put back up the one he made!

 

“You know, you could just let me keep it in my own mouth. I’ve smoked like that before.” Sanji grumbled as they walked side by side down the street and Zoro pulled the smoke from between Sanji’s lips, sticking it back between his own.

 

“I thought I said _I_ was having a smoke. Not you. Dumbass…” Zoro chuckled as Sanji fumed next to him.

 

“And who gave you permission to take my smokes anyway?! Huh?!” Zoro shrugged. “THAT’S NOT A DAMN ANSWER!”

 

“Oh calm down already! Or do you want to lose your voice as well as however many layers of skin you burned off?” Sanji grumbled angrily at Zoro’s remark. Sanji remembered what he’d said to Zoro maybe ten minutes earlier and frowned.

 

“So… uh. Should I tell you? About what happened..?” Sanji asked. Zoro hummed in agreement as they passed the- _this is the same bus stop from just a minute ago_. “DAMNIT ZORO! PUTTING ON YOUR GLASSES HASN’T DONE SHIT FOR YOUR SENSE OF DIRECTIONS, HAS IT?!” Zoro hummed in agreement and continued walking forward. “DAMNIT ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?!” Another hum. Sanji rolled his eyes and groaned as he was tempted once again to jam his fist down the bastards throat.

 

“Fine.” Sanji growled and Zoro pulled the cigarette out of his mouth again. It was a surreal sight. Zoro with a smoke and walking around town with his glasses actually on instead of tucked away in his pocket. The glasses actually made him look… intelligent. Less ape-like. The cigarette… it was just odd. But Zoro had already seemed to have gotten himself comfortable with it.

 

“Gonna make a habit of smoking those things Marimo?”

 

“Nah, that’s your bit. Unless you wanna start getting lost all the time.”

 

“OH! So you admit it!” Zoro laughed and shook his head.

 

“Absolutely not! It is the damn streets! They keep moving!” Zoro said almost as if he were rehearsing his lines for a TV show. Zoro’s smile began to fade slowly and he cleared his throat, helping Sanji take another drag of his cigarette. “If you wanna tell me now or if you wanna tell me when we get back to your place, I don’t give a shit. Just as long as you tell me eventually.” Sanji sucked in another long and deep breath as smoke filled his lungs. He nodded and let Zoro take the cigarette away again.

 

Sanji let his eyes fall shut as the continued to walk forward. It should be about ten minutes of walking in a straight line until they got back to the apartments. That would give him enough time to think. To come up with how he would word what he would be telling Zoro. How he could make some of the more intense parts seem… less extreme. Then again, Zoro hadn’t sugar coated anything about his past.

 

Sanji took in a breath through his nose, loving the way the scent from the trees blended with the different varieties of smell from the city. Being so close to the nature park meant there was always a sort of fresh, earthy smell. It was especially nice first thing in the morning. Sanji opened his eyes again and looked around at what should be their apartments and really shouldn’t have been at all shocked that they were once again in front of the same bus stop they’d already passed twice.

 

“FOR FUCKS SAKE! YOU DUMBASS!” Sanji barely even felt the pain in his hands anymore.


	15. Salty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am now taking requests! So inbox me! I already have this idea where Zoro's a male stripper and convinces Sanji to join him so don't give me no stripping requests, you're gonna get a whole story about it once this one is done! Anyway, enjoy the chapter! Muahahahaha!

“So, what kind of job do you think Luffy’s got?” Zoro attempted at small talk as he leaned back on Sanji’s couch.

 

“I dunno, could be anything with that guy.” Sanji mumbled as he stared down at his hands. He’d been doing it ever since they’d finally found the apartments and Zoro was starting to get worried. He was pretty sure he treated them properly… The burn cream should be helping and he didn’t wrap it too tightly. Zoro frowned.

 

“Maybe he’s a male stripper.” Zoro attempted to make the cook laugh, or fight, or anything. But he was absolutely silent. “Oi!” Sanji continued to stare down at his open palms. “You dumb cook, what’s wrong?” Sanji sighed deeply and looked up at Zoro. “Do you need me to take you to the hospital? I thought I’d done an okay job with the first aid but if you need-”

 

“What am I supposed to do now? I can’t fucking cook like this…” Zoro clamped his mouth shut when Sanji spoke. Sanji looked like he wanted to let his face fall into his hands, like most people do when they’ve been utterly defeated. But he couldn’t even do that now or he would just be putting himself through even more pain. “Damnit, I can’t even put my hair up in a tie like this!” Zoro frowned but was somewhat relieved. He knew Sanji had a high pain tolerance and if he was complaining about his hands instead of crying over the pain, that meant he was doing fine…

 

Well, as fine as one could be after burning themselves during a complete mental breakdown.

 

“Your hair was getting too long anyway. Get it cut.” Sanji frowned and looked away.

 

“Dumbass. Ladies love long hair.” Zoro shrugged and got up from where he was sitting, walking around Sanji’s small apartment and taking in the surroundings.

 

Still empty. Zoro’s ever present frown deepened and he looked down the hall towards the bathroom. Zoro knew it wasn’t his job to make Sanji feel more at home or any shit like that but… Well, if Sanji had something actually decent to come home to, maybe he would stop being such a pain in the ass all the time. Yeah. And if none of the other guys were gonna do it, it would have to fall on Zoro. Maybe he could convince Nami that she should help out the cook and not himself.

 

But then it wouldn’t be the same. _Wait what? I don’t want to help that shitty bastard! The only reason I wrapped up his hands is because it would be wrong not to… I can’t even convince myself of that shit anymore…_ Zoro searched through Sanji’s bathroom cupboards until he found a dark green hair tie and snapped it onto his wrist. He also picked up a brush sitting on the sink and left the bathroom.

 

When he re-entered the living room, he was surprised to see Sanji staring at him wide-eyed.

 

“What?”

 

“You found it on the first time… I’m just-” Sanji contorted his face to look as if he were on the verge of tears and placed his hand over his chest so that only the tips of his fingers grazed his loose shirt. “I’m so proud of you.”

 

“OH SHUT UP!” Zoro shouted as his face went red. Why Zoro was even bothering to help this dumbass was a mystery to him. He only ever acted like this when they were alone though. If the two of them were hanging out with the rest of the group, nobody could _stop_ them from fighting. Zoro had wondered on more than one occasion if they were putting on an act in front of people without even knowing it. That theory was debunked pretty quickly after Sanji was leading Zoro home one day and they ended up getting into such an intense fight that they were glaring at each other for a week.

 

Zoro sighed and walked over to where Sanji was sitting on the couch. Sanji took his hand away from his chest and smirked at Zoro.  Zoro continued to glare at the blond and grabbed him by his shoulder, forcing him to turn until he was sitting sideways on the couch.

 

“Oi! What do you think you’re doing asshole?!” Zoro sat himself behind Sanji and whacked him on the head with the brush he’d grabbed. “Bastard! What-” Sanji cut himself off when he felt his brush running through his hair. Zoro smirked at the speechless blond as he slowly dragged the brush through soft locks of blond.

 

“Damnit cook… if you hadn’t fucked your hair up so much during your little freak out, this wouldn’t be so fucking hard…” Sanji’s entire body seemed to tense up and Zoro wasn’t sure whether it was because he just reminded Sanji of his meltdown, or if it was because Zoro was now playing with his hair. Either way, he wasn’t struggling, which was a good thing.

 

“Why are you..? I mean, why-” Sanji attempted to question.

 

“You were bitchin that you can’t put your hair up. I’m just doing this to shut you up.”

 

“You doing it isn’t the same as me doing it… you damn caveman…” Zoro was happy to hear Sanji fighting back again rather than sitting and staring at his hands like they were completely gone and not just burned.

 

“Well it’s the best you got right now so suck it up curly.”

 

“How does a Neanderthal like you even know how to do this?” Zoro grunted in response. “Not gonna tell me? Alright, I’m fine to start making assumptions.” Zoro rolled his eyes.

 

“Kuina used to make me put her hair up whenever we sparred together.”

 

“But her hair’s so short.”

 

“Well duh, she got a haircut after I started refusing to help her any longer. She could do it fine by herself anyway…” Now that Zoro thought about it, it was probably her way of trying to bond more. Make Zoro feel more like family rather than the random kid that Koshiro picked off the street.

 

“Oh yeah, by the way… when I saw you at your house on Saturday morning… you had two swords on your belt…” Sanji muttered as Zoro continued to run the brush through Sanji’s hair.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Do you use them both at once?” Zoro rolled his eyes as if the answer were obvious.

 

“Yes, I do.”

 

“How the fuck do you do that?” Zoro chuckled a little. He had this same conversation with everybody that’s seen him training before. Luffy was the first one he’d told. He though that Zoro was the coolest guy in the _entire SCHOOL!_ Zoro, of course, didn’t care about that kind of stuff, but it still felt kind of nice to hear it from Luffy.

 

“I’m strong, that’s all.” Sanji burst out laughing. Well that was a new reaction.

 

“Holy shit! SERIOUSLY?! That’s your answer?! You’re ridiculous!” Sanji laughed. Zoro felt a vein throb dangerously in his forehead and was tempted to just _rip_ at Sanji’s hair. “That’s just too much, you have to show me some time!” Sanji continued to laugh and Zoro allowed himself to smile at the blonds change in attitude.

 

Sanji’s laughter died down after a while and Zoro was able to get most of the nastier tangles out of his hair. How Sanji had mucked his hair up so much was a mystery to him.

 

“You do realize how incredibly fucking weird this looks, right?” Sanji asked.

 

“Oh yeah? I hadn’t noticed by the way I’m brushing your hair like you’re some teenage girl getting her BFF ready for prom.” Sanji snorted and turned his head slightly to look at Zoro. “So, if the ‘ladies’ love long hair, how come you haven’t gotten any since you got here?” Sanji smile immediately faded to a sneer and he turned away.

 

“Obviously because I’m not just looking to ‘get some’ you caveman! I’m looking for love!” Zoro didn’t have to see Sanji’s face to know there were hearts in his eyes and that goofy smile plastered on his face. “Women are meant to be treated tenderly and sweetly! Not like just another way to get yourself off!”

 

“So you’re saying that if you were offered sex by the hottest girl in school _tomorrow_ , you would say no?” Zoro heard Sanji practically choke on his own spit and whip his head around fully to glare menacingly at Zoro. Although, the intense blush on his face made the look he was attempting much less fierce.

 

“OF COURSE! I COULD NEVER TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A LADY LIKE THAT!”

 

“And if Nami asked you?” Sanji’s faced burned even hotter and Zoro had to use all the strength he had inside of himself to keep from laughing. Sanji looked so pissed that there was practically fire in his eyes.

 

“How could you even suggest that?! She is an angel from the heavens and I would never sully her body in such a disgusting way!” Zoro raised an eyebrow. “I mean, of course I would make sure that the experience would be the most beautiful thing she ever… experienced! But I have no right to be the one that takes her innocence from her!”

 

“Have you ever actually _had_ a girlfriend?”

 

“How could you even ask that?! Back in my home country, I was the most amazing and thorough lover in the entire city! I treated every woman I came across as the gift from the heavens that they were and-”

 

“ _And_ you’re avoiding the question.” Zoro interrupted and Sanji bit his lip.

 

“So what you bastard?! I don’t need to actually be with a woman to admire her beauty!” Zoro decided to drop the pointless conversation as he tied Sanji’s hair up in the green elastic. Once he was happy with it, he pulled his hand away and threw the brush next to him on the couch. “Anyway, it’s not like you’re one to talk! If I’ve never had a girlfriend, there’s _no way_ you’ve ever had one!”

 

“Actually, I’m apparently called the _bad boy_ in school.” Sanji turned to look at Zoro, shock written plainly on his face. “I’ve had a couple of girls actually try to ask me out. I always say no of course…” Sanji muttered something that sounded like ‘bullshit’ under his breath as he turned away.

 

Zoro stared at the back of Sanji’s head and furrowed his brows as he remembered the reason that he was actually doing this. Zoro looked over Sanji’s shoulder and cringed at the bandaged appendages he saw. When he was wrapping them, Zoro was in a bit of a hurry… even though he was sure he did a fine job, he was still worried that maybe they were just a bit too tight. It’s not like he was a professional either, he’d just done what he taught himself to do while he was on his own. It would probably be safest to take the blond dumbass to an actual doctor…

 

_Well I wouldn’t have had to do it all if this fucking idiot didn’t do this to himself!_

 

Zoro raised his hand and rested his palm on Sanji head, his fingers threading through blond strands lightly. Zoro pressed down roughly and heard Sanji grunt in displeasure.

 

“Oi, what are you doing _now_?!” Sanji attempted to turn his head and look at Zoro, but Zoro kept his grip firm and the cook’s head still. “Let go damnit! Or do you want my foot up your ass?!”

 

“Sanji.” Sanji must have sensed the seriousness in Zoro’s tone because he immediately fell silent. “Don’t do that to yourself… ever again.”

 

“Of course not dumbass… that shit hurt.” Zoro felt a hint of a smile pull at the corners of his mouth. The two were silent for what could have been a couple minutes or a couple hours. Time had dragged to a slow crawl for the both of them and the spell of silence wasn’t broken until what felt like an eternity had passed. Zoro heard Sanji take in a deep breath and watched his shoulders slump just slightly. “He… he never wanted a kid.”

 

“Your dad.” It wasn’t a question. He knew the answer.

 

“Yeah.” Sanji looked tempted to fiddle with something. His fingers were twitching and Zoro didn’t need to see his face to know he was probably biting his lip. He always did that whenever he couldn’t get his hands on a smoke at school. He’d bite his lip or chew on a pencil, and then he’d beat it out the door when the bell rang and light one up.

 

“Pretty sure he didn’t want to get married either… just needed somebody to hit.” Zoro had guessed as much by the way Sanji would talk about the two. On the rare occasion he would mention them, he would speak so gently of his mother and spit his father’s name like it was poisonous. Of course it was an abusive relationship, nothing else it could have been.

 

“I wasn’t meant to happen. But… I think dad just saw it as another way to put her through pain, so he let her have me.” Zoro got up from where he was sitting behind Sanji and moved to the kitchen. He’d thrown Sanji’s pack of cigarettes on the island once they’d gotten to his house. Zoro pulled a smoke from the pack and walked back over to the blond. “She always protected me… always gave me whatever food she got. Whenever he would try to go after me… she would get in his way.” Zoro stuck the cigarette between Sanji’s lips and Sanji visibly relaxed.

 

“One day, he went too far. Hit her too hard. I tried to protect her but I just… I just got in the way.” Sanji reached up and ran the tip of his finger along his temple as his teeth clenched. Sanji took another deep breath before continuing. “She hit her head on the corner of the table and…” Zoro placed a firm hand on Sanji shoulder as the blond let out a shaky breath. “After that, he forced me to help him hide the body… Fuck, if I hadn’t been born, she- she could’ve gotten out! She stayed because of me…” Zoro squeezed Sanji’s shoulder.

 

Zoro hoped that Sanji understood what Zoro was attempting to get across to him. Even though they fought a lot, they understood each other well. They both knew what was too far of a line to cross without even speaking it. What Zoro was trying to make Sanji understand at that moment was that he didn’t have to keep talking. He’d said more than enough.

 

Zoro was surprised when he suddenly felt hands gripping onto the front of his shirt. Zoro felt his cheeks colour as Sanji pressed himself against Zoro’s body. He felt so warm and Zoro was sorely tempted to wrap his arms protectively around the cook. Sanji’s forehead rested against his collarbone and Zoro feel could tears beginning to stain his shirt.

 

“D-damnit cook! Your hands!” Sanji shook his head and whimpered. Zoro could only guess that he was recalling his memories all over again, just like he had at the stand. Zoro gave in and pulled Sanji tightly against his chest, winding his arms around Sanji’s back and burying his nose in his hair. Zoro felt like he had to say something. Fuck, anything at all but just sitting there silently.

 

He could tell Sanji that it was all okay now. That he was there for him. He could say that he would protect him, never let anything so horrendous happen to him again. But would that truly matter coming from Zoro? The guy that Sanji couldn’t stand to be around. But if he actually couldn’t stand to be around him, they wouldn’t be in the position they were. They wouldn’t be sitting, frozen in time on Sanji’s shitty couch in his empty apartment. Sanji wouldn’t be clinging to him as if letting go would cause him to drown in the memories he’d long since repressed and ignored.

 

Zoro wracked his brain as he tried to think of anything he could say to pull Sanji back out of this pit that Zoro had practically thrown him into.

 

But he couldn’t think of a thing that would change how desperately scared Sanji would be feeling at that moment. So he sat there and breathed in the subtle scent of Citrus. Citrus, smoke, and a mixture of spices. It was unique and completely and utterly _Sanji._ Sanji’s shampoo. Sanji’s smokes. Sanji’s passion for cooking. Zoro ran his hand over the small ponytail he’d just done up in Sanji’s hair and played with the tips of hair that poked out.

 

 _Shit, if he can hear how fast my heart is beating right now I’m fucked._ Zoro screwed his eyes shut and attempted to take deep breaths to calm himself, but with every breath he took came that damn scent. Sanji’s subtle smell overpowered everything and practically shorted his brain. The only thing keeping him grounded was the fact that he knew he absolutely _needed_ to comfort Sanji. He couldn’t let whatever fucked up emotions he had started to develop get in the way.

 

“I was so weak… I couldn’t do anything, no matter how much I wanted to! Now he’s back out and- and I can’t-!” Sanji sounded absolutely outraged with himself. Like there was nobody in the world that he hated more than himself in that moment. Zoro felt like shit for practically forcing Sanji to speak about his past, but if he’d kept it all in inside for any longer…

 

Zoro grabbed Sanji gently by his chin and tipped his head up. His eyes were red and puffy and tears stained and streaked his cheeks. His cigarette that remained unlit hung from his lips that were trembling with effort to hold back all the emotions damning up inside.

 

Zoro felt his heart throb painfully and his throat tightened as he finally decided what to say.

 

“Sanji.” Zoro took the cigarette from Sanji’s mouth and let it rest in the palm of his hand, crushing it and rolling it around. Zoro sucked in a breath through his nose and his heart thrummed in his chest as he leaned forward. “You are anything but weak.”

 

Sanji’s lips were soft and… salty.


	16. Apprentice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I know I don't write notes that often, rarely ever actually, so this is gonna be a little weird for me. I just wanted to say thank you so much for all of your support and comments, it makes me so happy every time I check my inbox and I have one or two brand new messages. Even if I haven't responded to your comment, don't think for a second that I haven't read it, I've actually probably re-read it over and over again because you guys are what keeps me writing. I used to just write for myself and hide away all my works but having somebody on the other end of the screen and seeing all my hard work and actually liking it makes me so incredibly ecstatic. I wish their was some amazing fantastical way I could thank you guys but all I can really do is keep cranking out these chapters every week. Also wanted to say that I'm sorry that there hasn't been any smexy goodness yet, I just feel a little weird about it right now. Where I am in the story right now has them at a younger age than I am and writing porn about two guys that I could actually be tutoring if they were in my school just seems off. I promise it's coming, I can't tell you how soon, but it's coming. I hope, ANYWAY! THANK YOU! Thank you, thank you, thank you all so much and enjoy this next chapter!

“And why haven’t you taken him to an actual doctor?” Law asked. His tone flat and threatening as he examined Sanji’s palms. He held them gently in his hands and turned them ever so slightly every once in a while to get a better angle on the damage.

 

“I tried, but he doesn’t have the money for that. If we took him to a hospital, even just asking them to treat some minor burns would cost a couple hundred.” Zoro explained from where he was standing at the door of the schools medical room.

 

“These aren’t ‘minor burns’ Zoro-ya. They are second-degree and cover the entirety of his palms.” Law sounded pissed. Probably for numerous reasons. One such reason being that in order to get Law to check Sanji over, Zoro had interrupted Law’s ‘examination’ of Kidd. Another reason being Zoro’s stupidity in not brining Sanji to a trained professional right away. Yet another being that Law just naturally seemed to be pissed at everybody.

 

No. Pissed wouldn’t be the right word… more like he was constantly judging people. Looking them over and trying to find their… weaknesses.

 

“Yeah, yeah. Just tell me how long they’ll take to heal. A week? Two weeks…?” Sanji cringed. “Three…?” Law sighed adjusted his glasses. He went to wash his hands at the sink so that he could properly dress Sanji’s burns without risking getting any bacteria in the open wounds.

 

“A month at the very _least_.” Sanji looked completely shocked and like he was about to argue when Law gave him an almost _scary_ look. “I don’t think I need to remind you that your burns cover the _entirety_ of your palms. I wouldn’t be surprised if you lost some of your ability to feel after they’ve finished healing.” Sanji seemed to shrink at the very idea. “You’re quite lucky Zoro-ya was there. He treated your wounds almost exactly how I would have. The dressings were a little crudely applied and there was a bit much burn cream, but it’s already begun healing thanks to him. A less experienced person probably would have stuck your hands directly under cold water and that would have most definitely put your body into a state of shock.” Zoro felt slightly proud of himself when he heard Law complimenting his treatment.

 

“I can’t be out for a _month_ , I have a restaurant to run! It’s how I pay the damn bills!” Law didn’t seem at all affected by Sanji’s pleas.

 

“Should have thought of that before you did this to yourself.” If only Law knew how deep that went. “You’ll have to find somebody to fill in for you. I assume that you have at least one person that helps you out at the stand.” Law’s voice had a questioning tone to it, but it still sounded flat and emotionless as always. Sanji shook his head and Laws frown deepened. “You’ll have to find somebody then. Putting any stress on your hands will increase the amount of time it will take to fully heal. It will also make the scarring on your skin even worse.”

 

“It’s going to scar?” Sanji asked as Law applied some weird looking gel to his hands. Sanji cringed as Law applied the smelly ointment but didn’t move around too much so that Law could do his job properly.

 

“You thought otherwise? If it heals quickly and you remember to re-dress and re-apply this ointment every day, it should only be minor, but there will be permanent discolouration. I’ll write down all the supplies you will need, you should be able to buy it at the pharmacy not far from your stand. I would also ask Zoro-ya to help you with more complicated tasks while you are healing.” Law continued to give instructions as he wrapped up Sanji’s hands and then wrote everything down on a pad of paper.

 

“And… what exactly would be a complicated task..?” Zoro asked as he watched Sanji tentatively wiggle his fingers in the new, white bandages and Law handed him a few days’ worth of bandages and cream.

 

“Anything from writing notes in class to getting dressed in the morning.” Sanji’s face flushed a deep red and Zoro could almost _hear_ his teeth grinding from across the room. Zoro guessed that his own face had probably coloured a little at Law’s words, but Sanji looked much worse.

 

“WHAT?! There’s no way I’m letting that dumbass-”

 

“You don’t have a choice here.” Law growled as he tore the sheet of paper off the pad and handed it to Zoro. Zoro looked down at the paper and squinted.

 

“I see you’ve already perfected your ‘doctor’s handwriting’.” Zoro grumbled as he tried to read the scribbles on the yellow sheet.

 

“Put on your glasses Moss-for-brains!” Sanji yelled from where he was sitting on the medical bed. Zoro grimaced and pulled his glasses out of his bag. He slipped them on and looked at the paper again.

 

“Oh.”

 

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN ‘OH’?! IF YOUR EYESIGHT IS GETTING THAT BAD THAN YOU HAVE TO WEAR YOUR GLASSES MORE OFTEN SHIT-FOR-BRAINS!” Sanji jumped up and narrowed his eyes at Zoro. Zoro felt the urge to throw a punch at the annoying blond but tamped it down as he was currently injured and it looked like he was pretty embarrassed too.

 

“Must I remind you that you are in the medical ward? If you insist on yelling like that I will have to ask you to do it outside.” Law spoke in a punishing tone.

 

“It’s not like there’s anybody else in here.” Zoro pointed out.

 

“Nonetheless, I like having a place to think. Taking that away from me by yelling like children will not end well for either of you.”

 

“THEN WHY DO YOU LET LUFFY DO IT, HUH?!” Sanji continued to shout. Law sighed and looked at Zoro with an expression that Zoro could only really call a silent question. _HIM? REALLY?_ Damn, was it that obvious Zoro had developed some sort of affection towards the fowl-mouthed cook? Zoro shrugged and looked back at Sanji, who was still fuming.

 

“You and I _both_ know that _he_ is a different story. He refuses to actually leave here unless he’s torn _something_ to shit.” Law adjusted some papers on his desk. Probably the school medical records on Sanji. “I don’t see why you wouldn’t have brought him to my house directly after the incident. If you’d asked Luffy-ya, he would have given you my address.”

 

“Why does Luffy have your address?” Zoro asked as he picked up Sanji’s school bag. Sanji gave him a menacing glare for it but Zoro couldn’t give less of a fuck. “Actually, why would you _give_ Luffy your address?” Law adjusted his glasses on his face again.

 

“Do you think I _willingly_ gave it up?” Zoro laughed as he imagined Luffy wrapping his wiry limbs around a _very_ pissed off Law as the doctor-in-training tried to wiggle free and run home.

 

“Well, I’ll remember that if I have to bring curly-que in for another check-up.” Zoro laughed and thumbed in Sanji’s direction. Sanji growled and walked out the door, his arms swinging uselessly at his sides as he stomped. Zoro turned to follow Sanji out and stopped when he looked next to the door.

 

“Yo, Law!” Law had just started writing something at his desk and hummed in acknowledgment without turning around to look at Zoro. “Kidd’s sitting out here like a dog tied up outside a corner store, you want me to send him back in?” Law turned around and smirked.

 

“If you could.” Law dismissed and Kidd stood up and walked past Zoro so he could enter the medical room. Zoro looked over at Kidd as he passed.

 

“Be safe.” Zoro sing-songed and Kidd’s entire body tensed visibly.

 

“Shut it asshat!” Kidd growled, his face turning as red as Sanji’s did moments ago.

 

“I thought I told you I liked this place to stay quiet, Eustass-ya.”

 

“Then maybe _you_ should be quieter when we’re-” Zoro slammed the door shut. _Do not need to hear the rest of that sentence._ Zoro heard the lock on the door click and whistled as he went in the direction he saw Sanji go. He caught sight of the blond quickly. He was wearing the same clothes from yesterday…

 

_-“Sanji. You are anything but weak.”-_

 

Zoro covered his mouth with the back of his hand as his face turned a deep shade of red. He kept his eyes focused on the back of Sanji’s head as he walked. He didn’t know where they were going, but anywhere other than that medical ward was good enough for him. _Fuck, why do I have to remember that… that kiss… right now?! Can you even call it that? It barely lasted a second…_ Zoro’s frown deepened as he tried to think about something else… anything else.

 

_-“O-oi. What… what was that?”_

_“It was… a promise.”-_

 

Zoro was surprised that Sanji didn’t try to kick his teeth in after what he did. He was even more surprised that Sanji didn’t immediately pull away like he had been burned all over again. Instead, he sat there and stared at Zoro with a ‘deer in the headlights’ look.

 

_-“A promise for what…?”_

_“I promise that I will never let you feel that pain again.”-_

 

Zoro groaned as his face heated. _WHY DID I HAVE TO GET SO FUCKING SAPPY?!_ He wished more than anything that he could run home and train with his swords. Smack around the dummy in the dojo or even let Kuina kick his ass again! Anything but be around Sanji after-

 

“OI! Marimo! Come on already! I don’t want you getting lost again!” Zoro pulled his hand away from his face and ran in the direction of Sanji’s voice. Sanji was stood still in front of one of the school windows. He was chewing on a pencil he’d pulled from his pocket somehow, probably hurting his hands to do even that. _Well, it’s better than him biting his lip till he bleeds._ Sanji turned to look at Zoro, frowning as the sunlight splayed across his skin.

 

“Worrying about the stand?” Zoro didn’t really need to ask, he knew the answer.

 

“Of course I am… I _can’t_ close it down. It’s the only way I pay the fucking bills. I can’t hire temporary help either cause I need every cent I earn.” Sanji continued to chew thoughtfully on his pencil as he seemed to think up different solutions. “There’s no way I can ask anybody to run the stand for me…”

 

“Couldn’t you ask your old man to wire you this month’s rent?” Sanji shook his head at the suggestion.

 

“It’s not the rent for my apartment that I need, it’s for the stand. I can’t ask that old geezer to pay for that when I could have just had a regular job. I didn’t have to open my own stand, and if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t be in this mess.”

 

“What did I say about letting people help you when you need it, huh?” Zoro was getting aggravated again. Not twenty-four hours ago did they just have this very discussion?

 

“Yeah yeah… I get it. But a man’s got his pride, y’know?” Sanji said with a slight laugh in his voice.

 

“Guess you’re right.” Zoro looked out the window and at the courtyard of the school. It was getting hotter and hotter outside with summer now approaching quickly. The trees had now finished their transition from bare to pink to green. The leaves full and the branches hanging heavy from the trunks. And hanging from those branches? Luffy. Climbing up that trunk? Usopp.

 

“Oi! Luffy! Get down from there before Nami sees! She’s gonna get pissed and then blame me for not stopping you!” Usopp wailed, his trembling arms and legs wrapped around the crumbly bark as he inched higher and higher. He was too far away from even the lowest branches to start actually climbing and gripped tightly to the tree as if he would die from falling two feet.

 

“Awww! But the trees have turned green now and I wanted to see if there were any apples growing!” Luffy whined and swung from branch to branch.

 

“They aren’t those kinds of trees dumbass!” Usopp fixed his pants with one hand and nearly caught himself off balance. “EyaaA!” Usopp screeched and returned to clinging to the tree. “J-j-just get down here already Luffy!” Luffy laughed hysterically and hopped to the next branch.

 

“If you want me to come down, you’ll have to make me! Shishishishi!” Zoro laughed as he watched Usopp struggling. Chopper was sitting under the tree and taking a short nap and _Uh oh, here comes the witch._

 

“DAMNIT USOPP! I TOLD YOU TO KEEP AN EYE ON HIM WHILE I BOUGHT MY LUNCH!” Nami screamed as she stomped her way to the tree.

 

“WELL IF YOU HADN’T TAKEN SO DAMN LONG, MAYBE HE WOULDN’T HAVE GOTTEN SO FAR- _OW!_ ” Usopp fell from where he was practically melded to the tree and landed flat on his ass. He acted as if he’s fallen from a damn skyscraper though. “DAMNIT NAMI!”

 

“For your information, the food at the cafeteria is _far_ too expensive for my tastes! I’ve been spending the last ten minutes convincing a couple of dumbasses to pay for my lunch _for me_! IF YOU CAN’T KEEP LUFFY FROM GETTING HIMSELF INTO A RECKLESS SITUATION FOR TEN MINUTES, WHAT _CAN_ YOU DO?!”

 

“IF IT’S SO EASY THAN WHY DON’T YOU GET HIM DOWN?!”

 

“Nami my princess~! If you asked me to, I would kick his ass right out of that tree for you~!” Sanji cooed out the open window. Nami looked up and smiled.

 

“Thanks Sanji! But I got this under control!” Nami called and turned her attention back to Luffy. “GET YOUR ASS DOWN FROM THERE RIGHT NOW!” Zoro didn’t even have to look to know that Luffy had jumped down from where he was perched in the tree. Nami giving anybody that tone would scare the shit outta them. Even Luffy wasn’t immune to it.

 

Sanji sighed and turned away from the window, facing Zoro again and pulling the chewed pencil out of his mouth.

 

“So, what should I do?” Sanji asked. Zoro already knew the answer. He’d known the answer since Sanji had brought up the point of not being able to run the stand. He could argue with himself all he wanted but it wouldn’t change why he was offering what he was. He especially couldn’t argue after the move he pulled last night…

 

_-“I promise that I will never let you feel that pain again.”-_

 

He liked the cook. Liked the rude, obnoxious, shitty, annoying, bastard of a cook. Liked his hair, liked his face, liked his stupid, curly eyebrows. He liked how he would curse out anybody that pissed him off, liked how he could match him in a fight, liked how confident he was in his cooking skills. Liked every shitty, wonderful thing about him… and that’s why he was gonna stick his neck out _again._

 

“I’ll run the stand for you.” Zoro grit his teeth as he awaited Sanji’s no doubt pissy reply.

 

“You can’t cook dumbass.” Sanji snickered and Zoro rolled his eyes.

 

“Well I wouldn’t be doing it alone! You’d be giving me directions while I cook! It wouldn’t be for very long and if I’m really doing suck a shitty job, I’ll stop helping you at all.” Sanji raised one of his curly eyebrows and attempted to twirl the pencil around in his fingers, dropping it and grimacing once the pain in his hands shot through him.

 

“So, let me get this straight. You’re going to help me get ready in the mornings, help me take my notes during the day, and help me run the stand at night? You’re really making it hard for me to believe that you hate me as much as you say you do.”

 

“First of all! I’m only helping you take notes in Japanese cause we share that class, you’re on your own for the rest. Second, I have my limits! There are things I will do and things I won’t do in the mornings. I won’t hold your dick while you take a piss and I won’t help you shower.” Sanji’s face turned a cute shade of pink and Zoro smirked at the reaction. “And if you complain too much while I’m cooking, I’ll just drop whatever I’m doing and leave. You get to clean up the mess after.”

 

“Asshole! That doesn’t explain why you’re doing any of this for me in the first place! Even before I fucked up my hands, you’d started treating me differently. With most people, I would accuse you of trying to look down on me.” Zoro flinched as he heard those words. He would never do that to Sanji and he opened his mouth to voice as much when Sanji spoke again. “But I know you’d never do that. It’s too complicated a task or your tiny, moss brain anyway.”

 

“I see you as my equal, I’m not doing this out of pity. I don’t know why I’ve been treating you differently in the last few days, but it’s not like I’ve done anything wrong. So if you’re pissed about it, get pissed, but don’t make any stupid assumptions.”

 

Sanji hummed and stretched his arms over his head, turning to look out the window again and yawning.

 

“Oi, are you listening, or is all that stupid hair of yours getting in the way of your hearing?” Zoro growled. Sanji continued to look out the window and smiled a little as he watched Luffy running around wildly.

 

“So, you’re going to cook for me, take notes for me, and help me with almost anything else I ask for? Am I getting that right?” Sanji looked over at Zoro and the green-haired boy nodded slowly. Sanji’s smile grew wider and he walked forward until he was standing directly in front of Zoro. Sanji held up his hand until it was hovering directly in front of Zoro’s lips and bent most of his fingers as much as he could so that only his index finger stayed at attention. Sanji made a tapping motion so that he nearly touched Zoro’s mouth and smirked. “Wanna make that a promise?” Zoro quirked a sharp eyebrow at the cook’s actions, but nodded again.

 

“Y-yeah, sure. I prom-” The bandaged pad of Sanji’s finger touched ever so lightly to Zoro’s lower lip, pulling away immediately after. Zoro’s face lit on fire as Sanji turned around and waved good bye, throwing back a short ‘See ya in class!’ as he disappeared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought you guys should know I don't have an 'F' key on my keyboard. Makes me writing hell on earth. Hahahaha! XD


	17. Breakfast At Blondie's

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Just wanted to remind you that i love you guys all so much! Thank you for all your wonderful support, you make me so so happy and so eager to right every day, even when I've come back from a really shitty day at work. ^.^

“Fuck…” Zoro groaned as his hand flailed around on his side table. “Where the fuck is it…?!” The ringer on his phone grew louder and louder while Zoro continued to grow more annoyed. If Sanji was calling to wake him up before seven, he would kill that bastard.

 

The noise of the ringer went up another bar and Zoro shoved his covers off. The room was pitch black except for the small light from his phone. Zoro scooped it up and stuck it to his ear, muttering very sleepily into the phone, “The fuck do you want..?”

 

“Did I seriously just wake you up? Lazy piece of shit, get your ass over here! It’s time for breakfast!” Sanji’s voice sounded somewhat rough through the phone and Zoro guessed that he hadn’t been up for long either. Zoro looked over at his clock and, _Oh fuck no!_

 

“It’s six, fucking, am! What the fuck are you waking me up already for you jackass!” Zoro shouted into the phone as he got himself out of bed, throwing on a pair of underpants and stomping over to the bathroom to take the piss he desperately needed. “And you better not be cooking you moron, you’ll fuck your hands up and-”

 

“I’m not doing anything complicated so don’t strain what little brain you have left!”

 

“Law said you weren’t allowed to do ANY cooking. Nothing complicated, and nothing easy! Or do you wanna permanently damage yourself?!”

 

“I’m not making anything new! I’m just reheating some waffles I made and froze last week. I also made some fresh fruit juice before everything happened so just get over here a- ARE YOU TAKING A PISS WHILE I’M ON THE PHONE WITH YOU?!”

 

“Well you were busy bitching and I needed to piss, so that’s what I’m doing.” Zoro said and tucked himself back in his underpants as he finished up. “Maybe you should complain less.”

 

“MAYBE YOU SHOULDN’T TAKE A LEAK WHILE PEOPLE ARE TALKING TO YOU!” Sanji’s voice became even louder and Zoro smirked as he sniffed himself. “AND I’M NOT THAT ONE THAT’S COMPLAINING YOU ASS!” Yeah, deodorant would be a good idea… and a toothbrush. Maybe a shower… “ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?!”

 

“Bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch. Is this what I’m waking up to every morning for the next month? Fuck, it would be easier to kill myself now.” Zoro could hear Sanji practically seething on the other end and ran a hand through his short green hair. He mussed it around until it looked a little less shitty and yawned. “Hanging up now, or do you wanna listen to me shower too?”

 

“O-of course not! BASTARD! JUST HURRY UP!” There was a click and the line went dead. Zoro laughed and set the phone down, turning on the hot water in the shower and stripping back down to nothing.

 

“OI! ASSHAT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING YELLING SO EARLY IN THE MORNING?!” Zoro frowned and stuck his head out the door of the bathroom. Kuina was standing in the hall with her arms crossed over her chest and a sneer plastered on her tired face. She was in her sleepwear, which meant just a t-shirt and underpants. Most people would get freaked out seeing a girl like her dressed the way she is, but Zoro was more than used to it.

 

“You’re the one yelling right now. Leave me alone, I gotta shower.” Zoro growled, hiding his body behind the nearly closed door to protect what little secrets the two did have from each other.

 

“You never get up this early! Hell, it’s nearly impossible to get you up before eight! Not only that, you’re actually bathing yourself, which is a surprise all on its own.” Zoro scowled at her and slammed the door shut, locking it behind him.

 

“I would love to continue this conversation with you once I’m not naked and once you’re a little less bitchy but- oh wait! No I wouldn’t! If you’re so tired then go back to bed, but don’t keep me from getting ready!” Zoro half expected Kuina to knock the door down and put him in another headlock. Force him to apologize or shove her fist in his face if he refuses.

 

But she didn’t, in fact, it sounded like she gave up and either went back to bed or started to get ready for work. Zoro couldn’t really tell. Her footsteps went left but he couldn’t remember whether that was the direction of the kitchen or her bedroom.

 

Zoro finished getting himself ready and packed his school supplies in his bag. Kuina had gotten up after all and was making herself breakfast while Zoro was finishing up. It was about twenty after six now and Sanji was probably starting to get impatient, so Zoro slipped on his shoes to head out to Sanji’s apartment. Too bad he was stopped by Kuina for the second time that morning.

 

“Are you stupid or something? School doesn’t start for more than an hour.” She grumbled through her toast. “Oh wait, I get it. You’re preparing for how lost you’re gonna get by leaving early. That way you have plenty of time to-”

 

“SHUT UP! I’m going over to Sanji’s to-” Kuina raised her hand in order to silence Zoro before he could say another word.

 

“I don’t need to know what you and your boyfriend are up to so early in the morning, just be safe okay?” Zoro’s face went beat red and he turned away, facing the door and throwing his school bag over his shoulder.

 

“I SAID SHUT UP! HE’S NOT MY BOYFRIEND AND WE’RE NOT DOING ANYTHING LIKE _THAT!_ ” Zoro slammed the door shut behind him as he left and stood outside of the door for a minute, pouting as his face turned an even brighter shade of red. “He’s not my boyfriend but… but I wouldn’t hate that…” Zoro sucked in a deep breath and walked down the concrete steps.

 

He hesitated on whether or not he should knock when he got to Sanji’s door, but decided to just walk inside. If the bastard hadn’t unlocked the door for him by now, he’d just turn around and head home for another hour of sleep.

 

No such luck. The door creaked open and Zoro was met with the sight of Sanji leaning against the island in his kitchen. He had an unlit cigarette hanging from his lips and was staring angrily in the direction of the door. Zoro guessed that it wouldn’t be too bad for him to get the smoke out of the pack, but lighting it up would be too painful for him to do on his own. Sanji had on a loose fitting tee and a pair of sweat pants that he was holding up with the tips of his fingers.

 

“About time you showed up jackass, food’s in the oven.” Zoro threw his bag on the floor and walked into the kitchen. He opened the oven to see two plates stacked with waffles, the plating was a little sloppier than usual but they still looked fantastic. “Juice is in the fridge, along with whatever you want to put on your waffles. If you want syrup, you can heat it up in the microwave.”

 

Zoro nodded and pulled the plates out. He dug through Sanji’s cupboards until he found where he kept the glasses and stuck two on the counter. He opened the fridge and found all the different toppings Sanji had. There was jam, cool whip, and a couple packs of berries. Zoro was almost expecting an entire spread of different things to put on all the different foods he makes, but it made sense that the fridge was somewhat emptier than most peoples. The guy was paying to run a restaurant after all.

 

Zoro pulled everything out and set it on the island along with utensils. He searched through the pantry until he found a small glass bottle of syrup and set it next to everything else. Zoro poured the drinks and stared down at the spread.

 

“So, what do you want on yours?” Zoro asked as he set the syrup in the microwave.

 

“I can-”

 

“Do it yourself, right? Just tell me what you want stupid.” Sanji frowned and Zoro could see by the way his cigarette bobbed up and down that he was chewing on it. “Oh, and I suppose you can eat by yourself too? Law told me to help you if and when you need it, and right now, you need it. So just tell me what you want on your damn breakfast before I give you whatever _I_ want.” Sanji nodded.

 

“Strawberries, blueberries, raspberry jam, and whipped cream.” Zoro dressed them both up, drowning his own waffles in syrup and squirting a pile of cool whip on the side of the plate. Zoro cut Sanji’s waffles into bite-sized pieces and jabbed a piece with the fork he’d grabbed for Sanji.

 

“Here comes the airplane! Neeeeeeer~.” Sanji sneered and opened his mouth to complain and Zoro immediately shoved the fork past his lips, pulling the cigarette out with his other hand. The anger in Sanji’s face showed and Zoro smirked as he pulled the fork out and stuck it into another piece. Sanji finished the first piece and swallowed.

 

“YOU JACKASS! JUST BECAUSE I’M LETTING YOU HELP ME DOESN’T MEAN YOU GET TO BE AN ASSHOLE ABOUT IT! THINK ABOUT THAT THE NEXT TIME YOU-” Zoro shoved another piece of waffle into his mouth to shut him up. Sanji chewed for a moment before opening his mouth wide and sticking out his tongue, a pile of chewed waffle, jam, and berry sitting in the center of his tongue. Zoro snorted.

 

“And you call yourself a gentleman.” Sanji shrugged and closed his mouth again. The rest of breakfast went by pretty normally. Zoro didn’t make fun of Sanji any further when it came to being fed, and Sanji allowed Zoro to feed him without flailing around or complaining too much. Zoro ate his own food as he fed the cook and stuck the dishes in the sink once he was done.

 

“So, you’re gonna come with me to the stand today and I’m gonna show you how to cook, right?” Sanji asked and Zoro nodded. “Okay, and remind me again why we couldn’t do it last night?”

 

“I told you, I go to the dojo every Tuesday and Thursday.”

 

“But you’re always at the stand every day when we all meet. How can you do that if you’re training?”

 

“Cause the dojo closes at six-thirty and I join up with the group on the way to the stand.” Sanji seemed to accept the answer and walked over to the bathroom. He pushed the door open with his foot and then kicked it shut behind him. Zoro stood in the kitchen for a few minutes before he heard Sanji’s voice.

 

“Oi… Marimo! Could you open the door..?” Zoro chuckled and twisted the nob, allowing the door to swing open. Sanji walked out and glared at Zoro as if he were daring Zoro to say something. Zoro couldn’t figure it out at first, but as he saw Sanji walking over to his bedroom and fixing his pants to the best of his abilities, he guessed what Sanji didn’t want him to point out.

 

“Do you piss sitting down now?” Sanji’s entire body stiffened and he turned to give Zoro a glare so menacing, it actually scared him a little. Sanji’s entire face was so red that it could be compared to a cherry and there was definitely smoke coming from his ears. Zoro couldn’t stop himself from laughing if he tried and pretty soon, he was leaning his arm against the wall to keep himself from falling over.

 

“FUCK OFF!” Sanji screamed and stormed into his room, slamming the door shut with his foot. Zoro continued to laugh for a while, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes. Zoro straightened himself up and walked into the bathroom, gathering up the burn cream and bandages Law had given them. He’d have to take Sanji down to the drugstore to pick up more after school and before they go to the stand. He walked across the hall to Sanji’s room, opening the door without bothering to knock. Sanji was sitting on his bed, pouting and red faced. He looked up at Zoro and scowled.

 

“Knock before entering asshat! What if I had been naked?!”

 

“We’re both guys, so it’s not like it would have been that big a deal. Anyway, it would have been a little hard for you to get yourself undressed in the condition you’re in.” Zoro had actually been a little surprised that Sanji had been able to get himself into his sleepwear last night. But that damn cook was so stubborn he probably spent hours pushing himself until he figured it out. He’d come to school that day in the same clothes from yesterday after all. It couldn’t have healed all that much in one day.

 

Now that Zoro thought about it, how had the cook done anything this morning? Over the phone, he’d said that he was only reheating frozen waffles for breakfast. Easy enough until you have to open the freezer, open the bag of waffles, stick it in the toaster, get plates out of the cupboard. Zoro frowned as he thought about what else required using your hands. Nearly everything.

 

It’s not that Sanji’s hands were unusable. The blond would probably use said appendages to strangle him if he said as much to his face. But it was probably sinking in just how little Sanji could do right now. Not only could he not run the restaurant for around a month, but he probably couldn’t even wipe his own ass after he shits. Not like Zoro would help him _that_ much. Like he’d said to Sanji earlier, he had his limits. Helping Sanji to get dressed would even be stretching those limits. It would also probably shatter his patience with how much Sanji is going to complain.

 

Zoro wouldn’t be so insistent on helping Sanji out if he didn’t feel the slightest bit guilty for what happened. He knew there wasn’t really much point to making himself feel like shit when he should really be helping Sanji to heal, but if he hadn’t pushed the moron as far as he did… maybe…

 

Zoro’s eyes trailed down to Sanji’s hands from where they used to be staring at his beat red face. Most people would probably mistake Zoro for taking pity on Sanji with the way he was treating him. Acting like a small child that scraped his knee and needs to be coddled until he feels better. Both he and Sanji know that Zoro doesn’t do shit outta pity though.

 

Zoro dropped the new bandages and cream on Sanji’s dresser. He kneeled down in front of Sanji and reached out, taking Sanji’s bandaged hands into his own. Sanji looked away and grit his teeth. Zoro slowly began to unwrap the bandages on Sanji’s hands and drop them into a pile on his dresser. Zoro wasn’t sure what Sanji’s hands were supposed to look like at this point, but they probably weren’t supposed to look this swollen. _It’s cause he was using them too much._

 

Zoro didn’t say anything though. No point, Sanji wouldn’t listen to him anyway. He silently put a new layer of burn cream over Sanji’s palms and re-wrapped them. He heard Sanji’s breath catch every once in a while as he worked.

 

“Zoro?” Sanji’s voice broke the silence. “If I… if I asked you to kiss me again…” Zoro swallowed thickly and felt his face heat up. “Would you… would you do it?” Sanji turned and looked at Zoro, deep blue eyes meeting with wide hazel ones. Zoro cleared his throat and felt his hands twitch against Sanji’s.

 

“Of-of course not dumbass!” Zoro looked down at his knees and his shoulders tensed as he waited for whatever Sanji was going to say. Zoro was taken aback when he suddenly heard Sanji laughing like a damn moron. Zoro raised his head and watched as Sanji crossed his arms over his stomach, bending forward on his bed and bangs covering his face.

 

“Okay, okay!” Sanji rasped out between laughs and gave Zoro a face-splitting grin, his cheeks still red and tears at the corners of his eyes. Zoro’s body felt as hot as a furnace. He could probably take a cold shower and steam would actually come off of him. That was the second time that Sanji had brought up the kiss and if he did it again, Zoro was going to explode. At least he wasn’t bringing it up in a negative way, was he? Maybe he was taunting Zoro, but he wasn’t getting mad. They always made fun of each other so… did that mean everything was still fine between them?

 

Well, you’d have to be pretty dense not to think that things were gonna be a little different since Zoro did that. But things could be different and fine at the same time… right? Zoro’s teeth clenched his teeth and his lips formed into a slight pout as he looked away from the blond. Maybe it wasn’t exactly the reaction he was _hoping_ for, but it was better than was he was expecting. Better than being kicked in the teeth and told that they couldn’t be… whatever they were anymore.

 

_-“Best. Fucking. Friend.”-_

 

Zoro pulled one of his hands away from Sanji’s and ran it over his face, feeling his palm practically burn when he made contact with his cheeks. Zoro stood up and stomped over to Sanji’s dresser, pulling out drawers and picking out different clothes for Sanji. Forest green shorts and a black and white tank covered in abstract designs for on top. _Sanji always looks good in tank tops. He’s got a lot more muscle in his arms than most guys of his lanky-ass build._ Zoro shook his head as his thoughts began to wander and continued searching through drawers until he pulled out a pair of briefs.

 

“Briefs? Seriously? How old are you, forty?” Zoro laughed as the blush on his face began to fade. Sanji bristled and short Zoro a glare.

 

“And I suppose that makes you a boxers person? Briefs keep everything compact and where I want it to be.” Sanji stood as he spoke and Zoro scowled down at the offending garments. At least they were boxer briefs and not some damn tighty whities. If Sanji wore shit like that, he’d be forced to stop speaking with him. Zoro dropped all the clothes on the bed next to Sanji and crossed his arms as he stared at the wall.

 

Zoro took in a deep breath before shutting his eyes as tightly as possible and grabbing ripping Sanji’s clothes off his body. Earlier he had said it wouldn’t be that big of a deal I he saw Sanji naked since they were both guys, but that was bullshit and he knew it. Sanji made a series of sputtering sounds that sounded close to _“JESUS FUCKING CHRIST ZORO!” “I CAN DO IT MYSELF!”_ and _“YOU COULD AT LEAST BE A LITTLE MORE GENTLE YOU ASSHOLE!”_ Zoro groped around on Sanji’s bed until he found the briefs he’d pulled out earlier and stretched them out so Sanji could step inside. He did the same with Sanji’s shorts but opened his eyes so that he could put the tank on properly.

 

Zoro’s eyes did _not_ linger or _any_ longer than necessary on Sanji’s torso. He did not pay special attention to the thick ropes of muscle packed tightly under Sanji’s pale flesh. He did not notice the way that Sanji’s body twitched when Zoro’s fingers accidentally brushed against the soft skin of Sanji’s stomach and chest. And he did _not_ allow his knuckles to accidentally brush against one of the dark, brown nipples on Sanji’s slightly flushed chest. Sanji pushed his arms through the tank while Zoro pulled a black, studded belt off a hook and began to thread it through the loops of Sanji’s shorts.

 

“Aww, so thoughtful Marimo.” Sanji teased as Zoro threaded the end of the belt through the buckle.

 

“The seconds your hands have healed…” Zoro muttered under his breath as he stuck his hands in his pockets and headed for Sanji’s bedroom door. It probably seemed like Zoro thought that Sanji was weaker now that his hands were all fucked up. If the situation were different, Zoro probably would have gotten into a dozen fights with Sanji by now. But Zoro didn’t want to spend any more time than he needed to helping Sanji run the stand.

 

If Sanji was as serious about their fights that Zoro was, he’s probably forget about what he’d done to his hands and try one of those hand-stand kick things he likes to do now. Then the healing would be set back a few days, maybe even a week. Zoro nearly jumped when his phone vibrated in his pocket next to his hand. He pulled it out and checked the ID before hitting accept and placing the phone to his ear.

 

“Yo, Luffy! What’s up? I’m surprised you got your lazy ass up this early.” Zoro smirked as he checked his watch. It was only seven-thirty in the morning. “Oh, almost forgot, happy birthday man!”

 

“Shishishi! Thanks! I would say that we should party but I’m _still_ hungover from last Sunday! Anyway, are you still looking for a job?”


	18. Would You do it Again?

Sanji listened in on Zoro’s end of the conversation as he stood barefoot on the cold, tile floor of his bathroom. The bristles of his toothbrush ran recklessly over his teeth and Sanji growled in displeasure every once in a while when his gums received some especially rough treatment. Zoro stood in front of him with one hand on the end of the toothbrush and the other holding his phone to his ear.

 

“So, why did you have to call me this damn early when we’re going to be meeting up at school in an hour anyway?” Zoro was silent for a moment before a short huff of laughter left his lips. “Yeah, you would forget wouldn’t you?” Zoro seemed to quirk his eyebrows slightly and look questioningly at the phone. “Is Nami over there with you right now?” Zoro suddenly cringed and turned away from the phone. Sanji heard the unmistakable sound of Luffy’s whine on the other end of the line.

 

“Fuck, whatever, just tell me about the job already.” Zoro continued to run the brush over Sanji’s teeth, moving to the top row and scrubbing almost viciously. “AND WHY THE HELL WOULD I WANT TO DO THAT?!” Sanji raised his curly eyebrows and moved his head around to guide the toothbrush to where he needed it. “Besides, we can’t do that, we have school moron … … … Over the summer? Yeah, that makes more sense, but I still don’t get why _I_ would be the guy for the job … … was this Nami’s idea? Is this her way of trying to con me into owing her more money?” Zoro growled the last part.

 

“She’s over there, right?” Zoro asked as he filled a cup of water for when he finished brushing Sanji’s teeth and Sanji needed to rinse. “Okay, well, put her on … … well then put her on when she’s finished!”

 

“Whas going ong?” Sanji attempted to ask around the brush in his mouth. Zoro’s attention snapped back to the blond and he shoved the brush to the back of Sanji’s throat. Sanji gagged and cursed, he was about to lean over the sink and spit when Zoro started brushing his teeth again.

 

“Don’t talk with your mouth full dumbass.” Zoro smirked for a couple seconds until he heard something on the other end of the line and his face turned as red as a damn beet. “IT’S NOT LIKE THAT YOU WITCH! I’M BRUSHING HIS TEETH!” Oh, Nami must have gotten the line now. Sanji apologized to his beautiful swan in the privacy of his own mind as an idea crawled into his brain. Sanji felt an evil grin take over his face and stuck his tongue out so it lay over his bottom lip. Sanji groaned deep and loud. The look on Zoro’s face was absolutely priceless and he took in a long breath so he could create another one when Zoro hit the brush against the back of his throat again. Sanji gagged and pulled away.

 

Zoro reluctantly helped Sanji to take a drink from the glass of water and Sanji swished around in his mouth. Zoro seemed to move out of the way so that Sanji could spit into the sink but Sanji made a point of swallowing, tipping his head up and showing off the movements of his throat. Sanji gasped loudly when he finished and dropped his head again to look at Zoro.

 

“Z-Zoro… not so rough.” Sanji moaned and Zoro nearly screamed as he ran out of the bathroom. Sanji followed behind, laughing hysterically and wrapping his arms around his stomach for the second time that morning. If Zoro kept making him laugh this fucking hard, he would give himself a stomach ulcer. Zoro was hunched over in the living room, his hand clutching onto the cloth over his chest as he gasped and panted. Sanji sat down on the couch next to where Zoro was crouched down and waited for the Mosshead to catch his breath.

 

Zoro still had the phone pressed to his ear and was slowly standing up again. “SHUT UP! IT’S NOT-! WE’RE NOT-!” Zoro sighed and a realization suddenly hit Sanji so hard he almost stopped breathing.

 

“IS MY PRECIOUS SWAN OVER AT THAT DAMN MONKEY’S HOUSE?!” Sanji screamed. Zoro turned his head to look at Sanji and gave a Cheshire cat grin. Zoro straightened up and started walking towards the front door, scooping up his schoolbag and flinging it over his shoulder.

 

“So! How was the ‘sleepover’?” Zoro asked as he toed on his shoes. Sanji shot up from the couch and ran over to the door, trying to press his ear as close to the phone as possible. Zoro pulled away immediately and smirked. “Oh yeah, Usopp was there too? How far did you and Luffy go?” Sanji grit his teeth as he attempted to listen but Zoro just kept evading him. Zoro suddenly seemed to choke on his own spit and yelped into the phone. “WHAT?!”

 

“What is she saying?! What is she saying?! LET ME HEAR YOU BASTARD! WHAT DID THAT DAMN MONKEY DO TO MY PRECIOUS SWAN?!” Sanji whispered aggressively as he tried to wrestle the phone away from Zoro.

 

“Damnit cook! What are you planning on doing with the phone when you get it?! Cut it out or you’ll fuck your hands up even more! And Nami! Don’t say shit like that!” Zoro growled as he pushed Sanji away. Sanji reluctantly slipped on his sandals and Zoro helped him to put his schoolbag over his shoulder.

 

“Gah- Don’t say that either! Look, it’s not that I don’t think you’re attractive enough for it! It’s just- I don’t think Luffy even knows what sex is. He didn’t even show interest in girls until just a few days ago.” Zoro kept his face twisted into a scowl as he checked the two of them over, probably making a mental check list of what they needed for school. Sanji motioned to his hair and Zoro rolled his eyes, but he went to the bathroom anyway.

 

When Zoro came back with tie in hand, he was still on the phone with Nami.

 

“Jesus Christ, Nami! If you would quit being such a damn chicken and just make a move already, you wouldn’t have to worry about him finding somebody else. Anyway, aren’t you talking a little loudly considering you’re over at his house right now?” Zoro was silent for a moment as he put Sanji’s hair up in a messy ponytail. “Fuck… Nami, seriously, why are you even asking me this? You know I don’t really see girls like that, I can’t tell you what you want to hear.”

 

Zoro doesn’t see girls ‘that way’? Like… he wasn’t into them _at all?_ But, then that would mean that he was gay, right? _Well, he did kiss you dumbass… and YOU didn’t hate it, so what does that make you?_  

 

Sanji groaned as he thought more and Zoro continued to talk on the phone. It’s not like that mattered to Sanji of course! That would never change the way that Sanji treated Zoro. He obviously wasn’t against any of that kind of stuff. Actually, he didn’t really give a shit who was fucking who as long as nobody was shoving it in his face or making fun of his own relationship status. Well, that and as long as it wasn’t anything fucked up. So, no, Sanji didn’t really give a shit if Zoro was gay. Well, he could say that all he wanted, but the idea of Zoro being that way made him… happy.

 

“You’d be much better off to ask the love cook. Of course, he thinks anything with boobs and long eyelashes is a damn god send.” Sanji grit his teeth to keep from cursing out the grass-haired asshole. He wanted to hear more of this conversation after all. “No, I can’t ‘relate’ to Luffy damnit! ‘Gay’ and ‘Asexual’ are two different things!” _Well, there it is!_ It was pretty obvious at this point how Zoro felt, but it’s one thing to guess and a _whole_ other to actually hear it from his mouth.

 

“ _FUCK!_ Nami, seriously! A) I didn’t think it was that big of a deal and B) My sexual preferences are none of your business! It’s not some damn life changing event, I’m still me … … No, I know you don’t see me any differently, that’s not what I’m saying.” Zoro was silent for a moment as he listened to the phone.

 

Now, Sanji would never say this to his most precious Nami’s face. But just between us two, Sanji knew that Nami could be a little nosy. Okay, a lot nosy. It can be a good trait as much as it can be a bad one though. It helps her to get information that she needs but it can also get her in trouble sometimes. Sanji turned his head to look at Zoro when he suddenly heard him groan exasperatedly.

 

“GAH! This is why I don’t do women even when I DO find one attractive! They make everything into such a big fucking deal! If you want to know how Luffy feels, just fucking ask him!”

 

“My precious swan has a crush on that moron?! How in the world did he get her attention before me~?!” Sanji pretended like he was about to cry and Zoro sneered, tugging a little harder on Sanji’s hair tie as he finished it off. Sanji wasn’t actually that disappointed though. He would never have been able to actually be with Nami, she was something special, but not meant for him. Besides, Nami had always acted a little differently around Luffy. Sanji noticed that since he’d moved to that town. Even when she was scolding him, she seemed to be having fun, even if her face didn’t exactly portray it.

 

“What would I do? Jesus- I would have told him already! There’s no point in not telling him, now is there? … When I like somebody they know it and if I don’t, they know that too. Look, I honestly don’t see why you’re asking me about fucking relationship advice. Call Vivi about this shit, you’re eating up my minutes so I’m going to hang up now. We can talk about the job at school.” Zoro pulled the phone away from his ear and stuffed it in his pocket, rubbing a hand over his face as he sighed.

 

“Funny how that conversation started off with you getting offered a job and devolved into your sex life, huh?” Sanji laughed slightly as he spoke. Zoro groaned and nodded.

 

“Fuck, tell me about it!” Zoro sighed again and twisted the nob of the front door. “Well, come on. Already wasted enough time this morning.” Sanji nodded and walked out the door, hearing Zoro shut it behind him and begin to follow. Sanji walked down the roadway until they were about to pass Zoro’s apartment. Sanji stopped and turned around, causing Zoro to come to an abrupt stop behind him. Sanji had unmistakably felt his heart jolt in chest when Zoro had admitted that he was gay and he couldn’t just ignore that. Sanji pulled in a deep breath and turned his head to look back at Zoro.

 

“So… you said that if you liked somebody, they’d know, right?” Zoro’s cheeks pinked and he slowly nodded, looking away and Sanji could see the muscles in his throat working so that he could swallow thickly. There was no doubt nervousness in the way he was acting. “And if you hate somebody, they know that too, right?” Sanji asked as he turned around fully and slowly walked up to Zoro.

 

Now, Sanji didn’t really know what he was doing at this point. His brain probably shut down and even though it sounded corny as shit, his heart was taking over. Forcing him to ask questions and act nearly as nosy as Nami. Sanji stopped just a few steps away from Zoro and leaned forward so that he was getting closer and closer into his space. He cocked his head slightly so that he was at least attempting to make eye contact with Zoro.

 

“So… do you hate _me?_ ” Zoro’s jaw tensed and his face turned another shade redder. “Because you say that I’m… that I’m your best friend, but then you say that you can’t stand me so…” Sanji’s heart was suddenly thudding so hard in his chest that it felt like it was going to rip right out of his ribcage. Why was he suddenly doing this? Why was he pushing so damn hard? Sanji wasn’t really sure what he was asking or what it was that he wanted to hear. He just… just didn’t want to stop now.

 

“So… what am I to you?” Zoro’s eyes shut tight and his entire body seemed to tense. Sanji could see that the tips of Zoro’s ears had turned a dark shade of red, the same shade as his face. Zoro swallowed again and then his fists clenched at his sides before he turned his head back to look at Sanji. His eyes were wide and he stared determinately into Sanji’s.

 

“I…! I-I..!” Zoro took in a deep breath and the look he gave Sanji was one that told the blond _exactly_ what Zoro thought of him. But he still needed more, he needed to hear Zoro say it.

 

Sanji remembered back to the earlier part of the morning. How oddly… happy he felt when Zoro was feeding him. How embarrassed he’d been when Zoro had undressed. He’d felt this odd sort of… excitement when Zoro had gotten him undressed and he thanked every god that ever existed that Zoro hadn’t opened his eyes or he would have seen _exactly_ how excited it had made him.

 

He remembered how safe he felt when Zoro had wrapped his arms around him on Monday night. How relieved he’d felt when he told Zoro everything that happened in his past… well, nearly everything. He’d skipped out on a lot of the details and there was a lot of other shit that happened to him but for fucks sake, he was having a bad fucking day and didn’t feel like giving the whole grisly story.

 

Sanji remembered the way his heart had practically jumped into his throat when Zoro had kissed him. How tempted he had been to wrap his arms around Zoro’s neck and deepen the kiss. Make it last until his heart had stopped aching and his head had stopped throbbing. Until the pain in his hands was nothing but a memory.

 

Sanji hadn’t stopped thinking about the kiss since it had happened. Sure, he’s been able to act cocky and pretend like he got kissed every day but… but even if that were the case, the kiss Zoro gave him was different. Zoro’s kiss was the thing that had made the ach in his hands seem like just that. Just a dull ach instead of a searing pain that destroyed all control he had over his life. Thinking about the kiss made him forget about the fact that he couldn’t even piss properly anymore. Helped him to forget that he had scarred his hands for life. Sure, they would heal. But they will have changed forever. He would either lose some of the feeling in his hands or they would become over sensitized. He wasn’t actually too sure about which one, he’d never been burned that badly. Back at the restaurant-

 

 _Oh fuck._ How was Sanji going to contact Zeff now? He wouldn’t be able to type on his laptop… he wouldn’t be able to write up his expenses…

 

Sanji shook his head slightly as the nerve-wracking thoughts invaded his brain. That’s not what he needed to be thinking about right now. Right now, he was with Zoro. He had to focus on Zoro. Sanji took a deep breath and leaned forward so that Zoro’s face was directly place in front of his own, taking a step forward so that he had completely invaded Zoro’s space.

 

Sanji could feel Zoro’s breath puffing hot against his skin and was more than tempted to close the gap between the two of them but he couldn’t. He had to hear what Zoro had to say. He had to know _exactly_ what Zoro wanted.

 

“C-Cook…” Zoro’s voice was nothing more than a whisper as his lips parted. It was an invitation if Sanji ever saw one. He wasn’t sure whether Zoro was doing it on purpose or not, probably not. Zoro wasn’t that keen to body language. Sanji often made fun of Zoro about the size of his brain and about being slow to pick up on certain things, and that insult _did_ actually come from somewhere. Zoro wasn’t as dumb as Sanji told him that he was but he could be a bit dense when it came to complicated things.

 

“Cook I…” Zoro steeled himself before continuing. “Earlier… earlier this morning, you asked me if you told me to kiss you, if I would do it.” Sanji stayed silent as Zoro spoke. “I said that I wouldn’t and… and that was a lie. The truth is, if you asked me to kiss you this second, I would be on you so fast you wouldn’t even have time to blink. Because I…uh… I don’t… I don’t exactly know what to call what it is that I feel for you, I just know that it’s not something I’ve felt with anybody else before. It’s something that makes my heart feel funny and my stomach do these weird fucking flips.” Sanji let out the breath he’d been holding and felt his heart jump wildly in his chest. Like an untrained dog trying to escape from his kennel. “Fuck… Sanji, don’t make me say it…” That was enough, hearing that was _more_ than enough.

 

“Zoro.” Sanji looked directly into Zoro’s eyes. Deep, ocean blue pools meeting with hazel. Sanji saw emotions flickering like pictures on an old TV screen across Zoro’s eyes. It was nearly overwhelming and Sanji felt like the air had been stolen from his lungs. Sanji felt his blood pulsing in his veins and his knees weaken, he licked his lips and just breathed. He’d never been so damn nervous before in his life. Sanji’s voice was nothing more than a whispered breath when he spoke again.

 

“Kiss me.” Sanji barely got the last word out before Zoro had sealed his lips over Sanji’s. Sanji’s eyes fluttered shut and he felt electricity coursing throughout his entire body. His blood flowed through him like lava and the tips of his fingers felt like they were on fire, itching to thread through Zoro’s hair and bring him in even closer. He couldn’t though. If he did, the pain in his hands would bring him out of the high that he was currently suspended in and Zoro would stop. Zoro could _not_ stop.

 

Sanji felt Zoro’s strong and calloused hands grip onto his bare shoulders, holding him in place gently but not forcing him to stay there. It felt more like he had placed his hands there just to assure himself that what was happening was real, that Sanji was actually there. Sanji made a short, pleased hum when Zoro turned his head to deepen the kiss.

 

Zoro placed one of his hands on Sanji’s cheek and threaded it through his bangs, his fingers brushing against the hot tip of his ear before wrapping around his jaw and the back of his neck. Zoro’s other hand trailed down Sanji’s arm slowly, almost like it was just falling in slow motion. It followed every curve and bend in Sanji’s arm like a single drop of water would do. Zoro’s touches were so light it was almost surreal. The wandering hand finally landed at Sanji’s own bandaged appendage. Zoro placed his palm over the back of Sanji’s hand and wrapped his fingers around so gently that it could have just been his imagination. But he knew it wasn’t when he ran his thumb just as softly over the tops of Zoro’s fingers. Sanji whined at the intimate gesture and did everything he could to deepen the kiss further.

 

Sanji could faintly hear some passersby yelling some obscenities at them from their car but Sanji just didn’t _care._ He could give less of a shit what anybody thought when they passed by and saw the two of them. He didn’t care if everybody thought they were just a couple of horndogs who couldn’t keep it in their pants, he didn’t care if they judged him and saw him as lesser for _any_ of this. He’d earned a fucking break and this was it. This was his chance and he was going to fucking run with it and never let go. It was weird and it was new and it was just a little bit scary but it felt so _right._

 

Fuck everybody who didn’t like that.

 

Zoro finally pulled away so that they both could breathe but Sanji’s entire body was still humming with the euphoric sensations that had just assaulted him. Sanji wanted to pull Zoro back in and do it all over again but he knew he couldn’t. They’d been standing there for god knows how long when they had school to go to. Sanji looked down to see Zoro’s hands still wrapped gingerly around his own and felt Zoro squeeze ever so slightly.

 

“Do- do you want to…” Zoro attempted to speak but his voice seemed to catch in his throat.

 

“Be your boyfriend?” Sanji asked, looking up at Zoro’s flushed face. Zoro lowered his hand from Sanji’s neck and looked down at their joined hands.

 

“W-well… I was gonna ask if you wanted to go to school but that too.” Sanji stared at Zoro for a minute before his lips slowly curled into a smile. Sanji’s shoulders shook slightly as he laughed and he gave a wide and toothy grin.

 

“You’re such a jackass.”

 

Zoro laughed in response and gave a smile that rivaled the one he had seen Zoro give back at the stand. _Wow, it hasn’t even been two full days and we’ve just gone from best friends to… to lovers. Shit, lovers? Can I really say that? No… boyfriends. Guess that’s high school…_ Zoro pulled away from Sanji, but kept their hands entangled.

 

“If you two love birds are finished now…” Sanji whipped his head around to look to where the feminine voice was coming from. Kuina was standing at the top of the concrete steps that led to Zoro’s apartment, a smirk dancing across her face. She was leaning against the brick exterior of the building with a black, leather wallet held between two of her fingers. Her hair was tucked behind her ears, displaying the glittering rings and gems that decorated the rims. Some of the piercings were old and she’d had them since Sanji had moved there, while some of them were new and still healing. But all of them looked good on her. What was out of the ordinary though were her shoes. Her usual sneakers were replaced with creamy, white high heels.

 

“Damnit Kuina!” Sanji looked back at Zoro, whose face had turned back to that lovely shade of red it had been just moments before. Zoro seemed to have noticed the oddities in Kuina’s appearance because he gave her a questioning look and used his free hand to motion towards her. “What’s with the shoes?” Kuina rolled her eyes and pushed away from the building.

 

“If you _must_ know, I’m going on a date tonight. I bought these the other day and I was just breaking them in when I saw _somebody_ forgot his damn wallet!” Zoro sneered and pulled his hand away from Sanji’s, patting down his pockets and frowning when he couldn’t find the wallet that was obviously balancing between his sisters fingers. Kuina laughed and slowly began to walk down the concrete steps, wobbling in a way that worried Sanji slightly. _She really shouldn’t be doing stairs if she’s not used to walking in heels yet, she could-_

 

Time suddenly seemed to stop when a loud _SNAP_ sounded. Kuina’s foot rolled in a way that was certainly unnatural, her heel broke off, and she began to fall. Zoro’s face went absolutely pale and he lunged forward, arms reaching out to catch but he was too far away. There was another, but much more sickening, and almost wet, _SNAP_ when she reached the bottom.


	19. Zoro, The Cook

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, i feel really guilty for this, but I'm not sure I'm going to be able to get these chapters in on time for the next few weeks, they might be a few days late, they might be a week late. Unfortunately, I'm dealing with a rather stressful graduation right now and I haven't really been able to focus on writing. I also fucked up my hand in gym class so typing is really painful. :( I hope this chapter makes up for the upcoming bullshit. Love you guys, thank you for being so understanding.

“How long ‘till she gets out?” Sanji asked around the cigarette that hung between his lips. He swung his legs back and forth as he shifted around on the stool he’d brought inside. Thank fuck he’d thought ahead when he opened the All Blue and bought some extra stools. He felt like he didn’t really need to be sitting down but Zoro had insisted between clenched teeth.

 

“Couple days. She’s fucked up her leg pretty bad though so she’s stuck on crutches for at least a few months after she gets out.” Zoro explained as he prepared the vegetables he’d be using to cook for the rest of the night. Sanji watched as Zoro roughly chopped green onions and pickled ginger. He was wearing a hair net and had a dark black apron wrapped around his torso. It looked odd.

 

“You’re cutting the onions too big, make ‘em smaller.” Zoro grimaced but did as he was told, chopping the veggie to about half the size he was originally doing. “They say anything else..?” Sanji asked cautiously as he turned his hands over on his lap a few times.

 

“Yeah… she’s gonna have some nasty bruises on her back, stomach, and on the arm she used to catch herself.” Sanji nodded as he listened. He watched Zoro silently for a minute or two, rolling the cigarette around between his lips and flipping some loose hairs out of his face every once in a while.

 

“You know… if you’re not feeling up to cooking today…” Sanji started but was silenced when Zoro turned to him and glared. Sanji frowned and bit down roughly on his smoke. “You don’t have to look so damn offended! I’m just trying to give a shit about you! Most people who watch their sister wipe out that bad might need a day or two!”

 

“And most people who watch their mom get murdered in front of them end up-” Sanji tensed visibly and Zoro stopped, cursing under his breath and chopping a little faster.

 

“End up _what_ Zoro?” Sanji asked as his teeth clenched down on his cigarette and some of the tobacco began to swell out of the end. “Don’t chop so fast, you’ll cut your fucking fingers off!” Sanji scolded.

 

“Don’t nothing! And you cut this fast all the time, why are you getting pissed at me?!” Zoro growled.

 

“I’ve been cooking since I was seven! I can cut as damn fast as I want! You can barely even dress a waffle properly without absolutely fucking drowning it in jam and syrup!” Zoro stopped chopping and huffed angrily at Sanji before turning back to the cutting board. Zoro pushed all the ingredients off the board and into their respective compartments. Zoro leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest, raising his eyebrows as he waited for his next direction.

 

Sanji glared at Zoro for a good minute. He was sorely tempted to curse Zoro out for his earlier comment but the Marimo probably didn’t need Sanji bitching him out on top of what happened with Kuina. Sanji sighed and rolled his head around on his shoulders, hearing the bones crack and feeling the tension that had built up in his shoulders relax and release.

 

“Next, you’re gonna chop cabbage. Let’s say four heads for now. Make sure you shred it so that it’s easy to incorporate into the batter.” Zoro nodded and pulled a couple cabbages out of the large fridge, dropping them on the counter and chopping as Sanji directed. Sanji kicked at Zoro’s legs a couple times as he watched and corrected. Zoro’s responses were mostly noncommittal grunts and either a shake or nod of his head. He only actually spoke after about two heads of cabbage were finished being chopped.

 

“You didn’t have to come you know.” Zoro mumbled. “To the hospital I mean.”

 

“Of course I did jackass. Who else was gonna hold your hand while you cried and cursed the very existence of those damned stairs.” Sanji’s voice was dripping with sarcasm and Zoro immediately picked up on it, scoffing and pulling out the next cabbage.

 

“You were a lot more distressed than I was moron.” Zoro laughed and Sanji kicked him a little harder for that one. Zoro was right though. Watching Kuina fall down the stairs wasn’t _nearly_ the same as what happened to his mother, but then Zoro had lifted up her shirt to see if she’d hurt anything too drastically, besides breaking her leg. The bruising was already beginning to form and large splotches of deep red and purple had stained her skin, along with thin, white lines that identified where she’d hit the edge of the stair. _That_ had brought back some memories. Zoro probably sensed that because he didn’t make fun of him too much for the way he’d reacted after mentioning it.

 

“Seeing a lady in that kind of condition isn’t right…” Sanji muttered and Zoro glanced over at him briefly. Zoro sighed and reached into his pocket, pulling out Sanji’s lighter and flicking it open. “Oi, I can’t smoke in the kitchen dumbass.”

 

“Then get out. You’ve already given me a run down and had me tape up directions so simple that a damn third grader could follow it.”

 

“Oh, so we’re going to make cracks about _following directions_? Is that what we’re doing right now? Cause I have _plenty_ of things that I would _love_ to say to you about _that!_ ” Zoro shook his head and set down the knife, clenching his teeth and hissing from between them. “We could talk about the time that we all went to the mall and you got so lost that we had to have the mall security call for you over the loud speaker.”

 

“YOU HAD THOSE BASTARDS CALL ME A ‘LOST CHILD WITH STUPID, GREEN HAIR’!”

 

“Got you found pretty quick… _outside_ the mall!” Sanji laughed hysterically as Zoro growled his displeasure. Sanji slowly walked out and around the stand, taking a seat on one of the stools at the small bar. He leaned forward on his elbows and gingerly lay his hands down on the lacquered wood surface. Sanji bent forward and flipped around the cigarette between his lips before Zoro took the hint and lit it for him. “So, let’s go over the rules. Number one. If they complain about the food, you charge them extra. Number two. If they complain about the service, you charge them extra. Number three. If they-“

 

“Complain about the swirly-haired moron bossing me around in the back, charge them extra?” Zoro smirked and Sanji rolled his eyes. “And if they refuse to pay?”

 

“Kick their ass. Or, a more legal option, write down what they look like, their name, and their licence plate, if they have one. I’ll call the cops about it later.” Sanji sucked in a deep breath and enjoyed the smoke that invaded his lungs, allowing it to seep out of the corner of his mouth moments later. “Rule four. Wash your hands after you do _anything_ other than cooking.” Zoro nodded and turned to the sink, washing his hands in hot and soapy water.

 

Sanji sighed happily as he watched Zoro turn back to chopping the final head of lettuce and push all the shreds off the chopping board into the container Sanji always kept them in. Sanji smiled at that. He hadn’t shown Zoro where to put those yet… guess that meant he paid attention whenever Sanji cooked. A slight blush tinted at Sanji’s cheeks as he got lost in the thought and smiled dopily.

 

“Yo… captain swirly space-cadet! What next?” Zoro antagonized the blond as he waved his hands in front of Sanji’s face. Sanji just continued to smile and Zoro sighed. Zoro reached out with one of his hands and flicked Sanji right between his eyes. Sanji yelped and pulled away, shaking his head and scowling. “What next?” Zoro repeated.

 

“Damnit you ass! Fine, rule five! If you need glasses to see what you’re fucking doing, then you better damn well wear ‘em!” Sanji yelled. Zoro rolled his eyes but complied, pulling his glasses out of one of his pockets and sticking them on his nose.

 

“If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a hundred times, I don’t _need_ them.” Zoro complained.

 

“Yeah but… you look really good when you wear them.” Sanji teased and Zoro’s face coloured. Zoro looked around nervously and nodded. Sanji smiled and decided that he really liked the way Zoro acted when he was embarrassed. It was fun as hell riling him up and getting him pissed, but seeing his face turn red and his body shifting around nervously under Sanji’s gaze made the blond feel kinda fuzzy inside. Proud of himself in a way.

 

“N-now what?” Zoro asked and gestured around the kitchen.

 

“Now, I want you to make me lunch.” Sanji ordered and once again began kicking his feet around. He could tell that was going to become an annoying habit for as long as he’s stuck without hands. He was _always_ doing something with his hands, always keeping himself busy, always keeping his body _moving_. Now that he couldn’t do that, it would mean lots more kicking and lots more dicking with Zoro to satisfy his boredom. Thus, Zoro is now forced to make him lunch.

 

“What?!” Zoro growled. “I haven’t done enough for you already?” Zoro acted pissed and put out but… Sanji knew he wasn’t. There was also no way that Zoro would attempt to start an actual fight while he’s in the stand, he would risk fucking up the interior, or, more importantly, the exterior. They’d gotten into a fight once before at the stand and Sanji had attempted to kick at Zoro’s head. Zoro of course had ducked out of the way just in time and Sanji’s leg had collided with one of the walls of the stand. He’d bruised his leg but the wall had come out much worse, it needed replacing.

 

“Hmm, I don’t think I like your attitude, I’ll have to talk to your boss about that.” Sanji complained. Zoro frowned but pulled out all the ingredients to make the batter and slammed them on the counter.

 

“What d’ya want?” Zoro grumbled and crossed his arms. Sanji hummed thoughtfully and let his head sway back and forth as if he were in thinking deeply about his decision.

 

“Hmmm, I don’t know, what’s good.” Sanji smirked at the way Zoro’s frown deepened. Of course Sanji knew what was good, it was just hilarious to see Zoro getting pissed off but not being able to a thing about it. Zoro can’t wail punches at his face like usual while he’s back there, not like he would right now. Sanji glanced down at his hands for a short moment before looking back up at Zoro, all smugness in his features still in place. Zoro sighed.

 

“I dunno… it’s all good… as long as he’s making it. Not sure how mine’s gonna taste.” Sanji raised his eyebrows at that. Zoro seemed much less confident now that he was actually taking orders, or maybe it was just because it was Sanji. Yeah, probably that.

 

“I’ll just have the original I guess, the recipe is taped up on your far left … Zoro, left … THAT’S THE OTHER DIRECTION DAMNIT!” Zoro groaned and looked around until he seemed to find the recipe and got to work. Sanji gave him directions at the points where he seemed to get confused or where he was beginning to fuck up. He seemed to know the basics of what he had to do though, further implying that Zoro really had been paying attention while he cooked. Sanji dropped his smoke on the counter.

 

Zoro finished cooking the pancake and it didn’t look all too bad. A little overcooked but Zoro had had enough brains in his head to decide putting the burnt side down was the better idea. Zoro looked around on the counter until he found all the different sauces and shakers. Sanji pointed out how much of each that he wanted and Zoro nodded. Zoro drew a swirly pattern on the okonomi-yaki and Sanji immediately felt slightly irked at the sight. Zoro gave the blond a smug look as he continued to draw curly patterns until he’d finished with the sauces and gave it all a dusting of fish flakes and seaweed flakes. He dropped it in front of Sanji unceremoniously and re-crossed his arms.

 

Sanji gave Zoro a sarcastic look and leaned forward. He pushed himself down until his head was level with the rim of the plate. Sanji bit down on the rim and the outside edge of the pancake together, sliding the piece of food off and chewing on it. Sanji glared at Zoro the whole time and Zoro gave him a confused look. He seemed to have an ‘aha!’ moment and grabbed a fork, using the edge of it to make the meal into bit sized pieces and jabbed one, waiting for Sanji to finish his first bite.

 

Sanji chewed slowly and noted all the points where Zoro went wrong with his cooking. The damage wasn’t as extensive and Sanji had expected. As it had appeared, it was burnt on the bottom, but the flavours covered up the slight taste of char well. It was well spread out so it was thoroughly cooked, no raw dough. Some of the flavours overpowered others but it wasn’t anything that can’t be worked on. Sanji swallowed and licked his lips of any excess sauce.

 

“S’good.” Sanji said as he smiled. “Could use some work, but it’s edible. It’ll have to do until I’m healed anyway.” Zoro rolled his eyes and shoved another piece past Sanji’s lips, shutting the blond up. Sanji happily chewed on the next piece as Zoro pulled out his one fork and sampled the pancake. He frowned and set it down. Sanji quirked a curled eyebrow at him.

 

Zoro filled two glasses with ice and water, setting them down in front of the two teens and then taking a good chug of his glass.

 

“It doesn’t need to be as good mine Zoro. I really didn’t expect you to do half as good as this anyway.” Sanji didn’t want to compliment him too much because, well, because that’s just not what they did. He just didn’t want Zoro to think his food was worse than it was. Sanji had really needed the tough love that Zeff gave when it came to cooking, it kept him from getting too cocky about his cooking and fucking it up. But Zoro wasn’t planning on being a five-star chef or anything like that, he just needed to get through the month.

 

“Just don’t wanna drag your shitty restaurants reputation through the mud any more than it already is.” Zoro grumbled as he fed Sanji another bite. Zoro reached up and pulled at the net wrapped around his spiky, green hair and scowled. “Do I really have to wear this shit? It makes me look ridiculous.”

 

“I’m not gonna let you shed your greasy, mossy hair in my food. So, yes, you have to wear ‘that shit’.” Sanji scolded and opened his mouth for another bite.

 

“Can’t I just bring a hat..?” Zoro asked in a voice that was almost a whine. Sanji thought about it for a moment and eventually nodded. Zoro smiled a little bit at that and fed Sanji another bite. At that moment, a passerby seemed to notice that there was people behind the stand and walked up. She was a pretty dressed up lady, sporting a business suit and her hair tied tightly in a bun. Probably a banker or something like that on her lunch break.

 

“Excuse me, are you open right now?” Zoro looked to Sanji, a little panicked but not really willing to show it too much. Sanji nodded slightly and Zoro swallowed, obviously not wanting to fuck up the first customer and not exactly prepared. Zoro turned to the black-haired woman and fixed his glasses before speaking in a calm, relaxed voice.

 

“Yeah, what d’ya want?” Zoro asked and Sanji bristled. He’d have gotten his ass kicked if he acted like that back at the Baratie, the restaurant his dad owned and he worked at for most of his life. But since he’d opened his own stand, he’d decided that if people didn’t like his attitude, they could leave. Zoro was acting much of the same as Sanji usually did with the male customers. Of course, he treated the female customers differently, talking sweetly and complimenting them on whatever feature caught his eye on that day, because it always made their faces brighten dramatically. He would usually mention their hair or how vibrant the colour of their eyes were. Rarely would he ever mention their clothes because that could be taken as perverse and he could get in real shit for that.

 

“Oi! Be polite to a lady you bastard!” Sanji yelled and Zoro rolled his eyes, shoving another piece of pancake into his gob. Sanji chewed angrily. He would have loved to have spat it back at Zoro’s face in protest but that would be a health and safety issue. It would be insanely unhygienic considering Zoro was cooking right now. Plus, it would waste perfectly edible food.

 

The woman that was now sitting on the stool beside Sanji sighed, rolling her eyes and gave the two a look of mild disgust. Sanji felt a jolt run through his body but did his best to tamper it down. _Well, that was fast…_ Sanji thought to himself as he swallowed. The woman crossed her legs and reached between the two to grab a menu, obviously lingering to make a silent point clear. She wasn’t comfortable with the way Zoro and Sanji were acting towards each other. And it wasn’t about the fighting.

 

As she was looking through the menu, Zoro cut up another piece of pancake and fed it to Sanji. Sanji smiled at the woman and she sneered back, turning her back ever so slightly to the two. Suddenly, she whapped the menu down between the two and pointed at the order she wanted with well-manicured nails. Zoro fixed his glasses and looked down, nodding and getting to work silently. Sanji sat and watched as Zoro worked, his eyes glancing back at the woman every once in a while to see her tense expression. Sanji had never before been pissed at a woman, especially one that had said nothing to him specifically, but she was putting off these vibes that just got his blood boiling.

 

Sanji wasn’t sure how the whole thing with Zoro and him was going right now… they’d sort of agreed to something early that morning. More than ‘sort of’ actually. The word ‘boyfriend’ had been used, kisses had been exchanged… the only thing that could make it _more_ … official were if they went on a… date. The idea was so foreign. Going on an actual _date_ with Zoro. But that’s not what Sanji needed to worry about right now.

                                 

Sanji hummed sweetly until he got Zoro’s attention. Zoro eventually set down the bowl of batter he was working with and glared at the humming blond. Sanji nodded his head towards his glass of water and Zoro sighed, picking it up and helping him drink from it. The woman sitting next to him gave an exasperated sigh and whipped around to glare at them.

 

“Nobody wants to see that, okay? It’s rude, it’s wrong, and it’s honestly sickening. I would say to take it somewhere else, but I would really rather you stop doing any of that. It makes me want to fucking puke.” She gave them a disgusted look as she finished her sentence. “Now do you wanna finish making my food or am I gonna have to take my business elsewhere?” Sanji saw Zoro’s entire body tense to the point of breaking, but he said nothing, just silently got back to work on the woman’s food.

 

_“Just don’t wanna drag your shitty restaurants reputation through the mud any more than it already is.”_

 

Zoro refused to say anything because he didn’t want to risk Sanji’s reputation… Sanji sucked in a deep breath and turned to look at the woman, giving her a sweet smile and offering out his hand for a shake. She turned around to face him, arms crossed over her chest.

 

“Good afternoon madam. It’s a pleasure to meet you- oh shit, I forgot.” Sanji pulled his hand away just before she could reach for it. “I injured my hands, can’t touch anything for a while, can’t even feed myself, how silly of me!” Sanji held his palms up to present the bandages. The woman’s face immediately fell. It turned into a mix between relief and ‘Oh, fuck I’m sorry.’ Zoro’s face, however, looked immediately hurt that Sanji was inadvertently denying their relationship.

 

“I’m so sorry, I thought you were-” She began, but Sanji silenced her by raising his palm closely in front of her face. He smiled gently and stood up from his seat, leaning ever so slightly further over the counter and closer to Zoro. He looked at the green haired teen and cleared his throat so Zoro would look at him.

 

“Thanks for the food babe.” Sanji smirked as he wrapped his arm around Zoro’s neck, his hand falling limp over Zoro’s chest. Sanji dragged Zoro into a kiss that immediately had Zoro melting with relief. Zoro deepened the kiss and laid his hand gently over Sanji’s, running his thumb over Sanji’s wrist. Sanji heard the woman make a sort of gasping noise next to him and smiled as he pulled away. “It was delicious.” Sanji pulled his arm off a very shocked Zoro and turned to the woman.

 

“Now, I’m gonna have to ask you to get the _fuck_ out of my face.” Sanji gave the woman a look of disgust that rivaled the one she had given them. Her jaw went slack as she guffawed at what she had just seen.

 

“And who the fuck do you think you are to tell me what to do?” She growled. Sanji gingerly picked up his discarded cigarette with his fingertips and placed it between his lips. He stood and waited until Zoro lit it for him and he took a good, long drag, blowing the smoke in the woman’s face.

 

“I think I’m the owner of this damn place.” Sanji smirked as her face went absolutely red with fury and she clenched her fists at her sides. “Now get off my property.” Sanji sat back down at his seat and leaned forward on his elbows, giving Zoro a toothy smile. Zoro looked at Sanji with wide eyes, but eventually gave the blond a goofy laugh and smiled enthusiastically. “Now, you’ve probably got some batter set up and ready to cook, how about another round of food?” Sanji winked and Zoro nodded, immediately getting to work setting everything else up. Sanji turned to look next to him and, for the first time in a long time, was happy to see that he’d scared a woman off.


	20. Sunscreen and Loungers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I know it's super duper late and I'm super duper sorry, but here it is! Chapter 20! Finally. Still a long way to go before I reach the ending I'm looking for but we are getting there. My finger is all healed up so that's one inconvenience out of the way and I've brought up my grades in school so I don't have to focus on that too much anymore. Unfortunately, I'm planning for a trip to Japan this coming October and I need to focus most o my energy on planning and learning a whole new language all on my own. So it might still be a little hard for me to keep cranking out these chapters but I will try my best!

Sanji shuffled around uncomfortably on the wooden bench he’d sat himself on. He was pretty proud of himself for finding the spot he did. A bench, an umbrella, trees, grass, and nice and close to the pool. Great. He could watch everybody else have fun around him at the god damned Fishman Island Waterpark while he moped. Sanji sighed and scratched the back of his head. At least his hands had healed enough for him to scratch his own itches now. Still couldn’t dress or feed himself though.

 

“Oi, shitty cook.” Zoro’s gruff voice sounded behind him. Sanji turned around to look at him and nearly choked when he noticed that Zoro was completely naked from the waist up. The scar across his chest and his… well, _chest_ completely visible. Sanji’s face went red and it had absolutely nothing to do with how hot it was outside. “Aren’t you gonna get changed? Come on.” Zoro grabbed Sanji by his arm and dragged him out of his seat. Sanji yelped and Zoro smirked at the noise. Zoro used his other hand to scoop up Sanji’s swim bag and began to lead him over to the change rooms. _There goes my seat._

 

“Damnit Zoro, what’s the point? It’s not like I’ll be able to swim anyway! You can’t swim without hands.” Sanji complained as he was shoved into one of the changing stalls and Zoro yanked the curtain shut behind them. Zoro pulled out Sanji’s swim shorts and threw them over his shoulder and then, without any damn warning mind you, ripped Sanji’s cargo shorts right off. Sanji yelped and checked to make sure that Zoro had his eyes firmly shut as he helped Sanji into his trunks.

 

“Oh cut your whining! Law agreed to lend you his inflatable lounger for the day since he doesn’t actually _need_ it like Kidd says he does. And whenever you’re somewhere too shallow to use the lounger or you’re on a slide…” Zoro finished helping Sanji into his swim shorts and tied them up, yanking his tank over his head seconds after. “…I’ll be there with you.” Zoro was face to face with Sanji as he said that and Sanji felt his heart skip slightly.

 

Okay, so, there probably was some explaining to do. Sanji and Zoro had been dating for a little over a week now. They hadn’t actually announced it to anybody yet… but Sanji was pretty sure that Nami had some idea. She always knew what was going on with _everybody_. Even when she didn’t know, she knew. Since their few initial kisses they had become a little bit more… shy about physical contact. They didn’t get to spend too much time together anyway since Zoro had to help take care of his sister, who was always pissed about being on crutches rather than training at the dojo with Koshiro. Zoro was also busy with the stand, school, helping Sanji with school, training, and whatever the hell it was he was doing with Luffy on Sunday. Sanji still hadn’t figured out but guessed it had something to do with that job that Luffy and Nami had offered him last week.

 

Zoro had gotten a lot better at cooking too. Mainly because after the initial ‘You’re not _that_ bad’ treatment Sanji had given him the first day, Sanji had cracked down, pointing out each and every place where he went wrong until Zoro was nearly as good as Sanji. At okonomi-yaki. _JUST_ okonomi-yaki. Nothing else. Sanji was still the better cook at _everything_ else, and Sanji would take that to his grave. He would not let anybody think otherwise, especially not when he’d seen Zoro use chip dip as mayonnaise on a sandwich once when there had been no mayonnaise readily available.

 

Luffy and the others had found out about his injuries as well. He’d avoided them on the first day and skipped school on the second since Kuina had gotten injured and he couldn’t very well _leave_ in good conscience. When they asked what happened, Sanji simply told them that he tripped and caught himself on the stove at the stand. He really didn’t feel like telling them about the entirety of his meltdown. He felt guilty for lying but there was no damn way he was about to tell them that he’d cried and poured his heart out in front of Zoro. Luffy, of course, immediately started to complain about the lack of cooking Sanji would be doing for them now that he was injured and Chopper nearly gave himself a panic attack worrying over the burns. Sanji assured everybody that the stand would still be open on most days, holding off on telling them who would be running it until they actually _saw_ Zoro working behind the counter. Sanji, of course, had ‘misplaced’ his black apron that day and Zoro had to wear the pink one instead. Zoro burnt his food a little for that one.

 

Surprisingly, nobody had even _questioned_ the fact that Zoro was the one that was helping Sanji out until he was healed. Not even Usopp had said anything, and Sanji had expected him to be the first person to make a comment. Even when Zoro was feeding Sanji in front of the others, nobody said a thing. Sanji appreciated that he didn’t have to explain anything to anybody, but he was a little weary at the same time. Well, if they wanted to know, they would ask.

 

“Sanji?” Zoro waved his hand in front of Sanji’s face and Sanji jumped slightly. “Dumb shit… quit zoning out. Sunscreen time.” Zoro held out a can and Sanji covered his chest with his arms, giving an over-exaggerated gasp and acting appalled.

 

“So it wasn’t enough that you stripped me down, now you have to defile my body as well? You really are such a pervert!” Sanji gave a pout and Zoro kept his face as straight as if somebody had told him that leaves turned brown and crumbly in autumn. Sanji knew that face, it says _‘You’re a moron’._

 

“It’s spray-on you mo-ron.” Zoro growled and began covering Sanji’s torso. Sanji turned around so Zoro could get his back and spread out his arms so those could be covered as well. There was something just so… summery about the smell of sunscreen. You always know exactly when it’s become summer because the school smells overpoweringly of sunscreen instead of sweat and puberty.  Zoro finished up spraying Sanji. “I’ve gotta go check on Luffy, make sure he’s doing okay in the pool, I left the blow-up lounger where you were sitting, think you could fill it up?” Sanji sneered at that.

 

“Course I can you mossy moron! You still think I can’t do anything for myself just cause- OW!” Sanji yelped when Zoro flicked him in between his eyes. Zoro had grown a real liking to doing that when Sanji was saying something that pissed him off especially. Sanji would be sure to get him back for doing that once his hands had finished healing. That and the many other things Zoro did to piss him off.

 

“Never said you can’t do shit for yourself jackass. Now put that pissy mouth of yours to something useful and go blow up that damn lounger.” Zoro scooped up the bags carrying his and Sanji’s change of clothes, on top of all the other shit they packed in there. Zoro left the change room and Sanji shook himself off, following out soon after and returning to the spot he’d picked out. Sanji found the large, yellow floater draped across the bench and sat down next to it, picking it up gingerly with his fingers and fiddling around until he found the knob where you fill it up. He pulled it out with his teeth and went about the slow process of filling it up.

 

Sanji looked around the waterpark as he filled up the lounger and smiled a little. Everybody seemed to be having fun as if they were children again, everybody that he could see anyway, it was a pretty damn big waterpark. Most of his classmates were either on slides or in one of the mile-long line ups to get on one. Sanji watched as Zoro ran down to find Luffy floating lazily around the whirlpool river. He’d stolen one of the inner tubes from the rapids ride so he didn’t have to do any actual swimming. Sanji was sure that if Luffy actually tried, he’d be able to swim fine, but he also got why he avoided trying. When something fucks you up during your childhood, it stays with you no matter what. Some people can’t even do mundane things like getting on a city bus or using a computer without having a mental breakdown. Sanji understood what that was like, and so did Zoro. Even if he didn’t show it as much and even if he talked about his past like it was nothing, Sanji could see that it had fucked him up.

 

“Sanji, are you planning on going swimming with us?” A sweet voice called from beside him. Sanji stuck his thumb on the knob of the inflatable lounger so the air wouldn’t escape and looked up to see Nami leaning over him, sporting a bathing suit that… actually covered her decently. Sanji was surprised. She was wearing a weathered looking tank with a picture of a lion on the front. Or was it a sunflower? He wasn’t too sure, so he decided not to make a comment on it, or risk getting it wrong. Sanji guessed that she was most likely sporting a two piece underneath and she had a pair of orange flip flops on. She wasn’t wearing her glasses which made sense. Nobody who went to the pool wore their glasses if they were actually planning on swimming, meaning Luffy was swimming somewhat blind too. _Great._

 

“Looks like it my swan~. I am so happy that I was able to join you in this trip, even with these minor injuries, I wouldn’t miss swimming with you for the world~.” Sanji swooned and Nami smiled sweetly. “I just need to finish blowing this thing up first.” Sanji motioned towards the chair and Nami nodded, giving him a gentle pat on the shoulder and turning back to see Usopp and Chopper running around like chickens with their heads cut off.

 

“WOULD YOU TWO MORONS CUT THAT OUT?! YOU’RE GONNA SLIP AND CRACK YOUR HEADS OPEN!” Nami cursed at them. “USOPP, GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE!” Sanji smiled as the two jumped and immediately skidded to a halt, bowing in apology and awaiting the lecture they were no doubt about to receive. Most people would probably run away when they knew they were going to get yelled at, but if you did that with Nami, shit just got a hundred times worse. Sanji quickly finished blowing up the lounger and tucked it under his armpit, walking down the slight slope of hill his bench was situated on.

 

“SAAAANNJJIIIIIII!!” Sanji winced when he heard the way Luffy was wailing his name from the river. Zoro was sitting on the edge, his feet dangling in the water as he watched over Luffy like he was a damn babysitter. Zoro turned around just in time for Sanji to place the soul of his foot in the Marimo’s face. Not a kick, just putting it there. Zoro growled and pushed the offending limb out of the way. Sanji smirked and sat down next to Zoro, dropping his lounger in the water and preparing himself to hop on. That might be a bit more complicated though… Sanji looked over at Zoro, who motioned towards the bright, yellow lounger. It was his own way of asking if Sanji needed help without actually asking. Sanji appreciated that Zoro had started doing that instead of actually asking every time Sanji seemed to get stuck. It was embarrassing when Zoro would ask. Sanji nodded and Zoro smiled. That was another thing he had taken to doing. Zoro was never rude or snarky about it when Sanji needed real help, he always just gave Sanji a smile and did whatever the blond couldn’t. Sanji was sure that this side of Zoro would disappear once he was better. He was happy for that but at the same time… he didn’t want it to leave. He didn’t want Zoro treating him weaker all the time but… he liked seeing Zoro smile. Oh well, all he could do for now was hope that things wouldn’t change again between them once he had healed.

 

Zoro grasped the back of the lounger with one hand to keep it from moving around in the river and used the other to grip tightly to one of Sanji’s pale arms. Sanji slipped off the edge of the pool and plopped onto the lounger, bouncing around awkwardly as he tried to keep himself in the middle. Sanji heard a splash behind him and peeked around the back of the pool lounger to see Zoro treading water and keeping his grip on the seat of the floatie.

 

“You don’t have to stay with me jackass. You can go on a slide if you want.” Sanji prodded.

 

“Yeah right, and let you fall in? The last thing I need is you getting chlorine and whatever else they put in this filthy water in your burns. I’m watching you like a hawk until the second we leave this place, right Law?!” Zoro shouted towards the large hot tub that the river swirled around and Sanji turned to see the doctor-in-training leaning on the edge of the steam-filled hole. He was submerged under the water from the lower part of his chest downward. His head lay in his arms on the slippery, tiled floor. Law nodded in response to Zoro’s question and gave a thumbs up.

 

“Listen to Zoro-ya! If you get any chemicals in those injuries, I’m afraid you’ll have to go to an actual doctor, I won’t be able to help you, mainly because I simply don’t have the supplies necessary to treat you.” Law’s voice was calm and relaxed, probably due to the hot water. It also helped that Kidd and Bonney had gone off to have a race on the rapids ride, giving Law a peaceful ten or so minutes to himself. Sanji was ever curious as to how that relationship worked. It was almost like watching a wild boar and a wolf try to make it work. Then again, he and Zoro were more or less the same. “You also refused to wear the plastic coverings that I suggested, so that means that we have to pay extra attention to you.” Law continued his lecture.

 

“I’M NOT PUTTING THOSE DAMN GARBAGE BAGS ON MY HANDS! THEY LOOK DUMB AS SHIT!” Sanji balled one of his hands up into as much of a fist as he could and shook it in Law’s direction. Law didn’t seem to give a shit though and just closed his eyes, enjoying the water. Sanji looked down into the river and frowned. Even if it was chlorinated and probably filled with piss from random swimmers, Sanji wished he could swim in it. Sanji loved swimming, almost as much as he loved cooking. Almost. He’d been excited that this was the trip that had gotten chosen, but now, he just felt like he was being taunted. Watching everybody else, even Luffy, wading around in the water, giggling and having the time of their lives while he was stuck in his stupid chair.

 

“Do you wanna be in the water?” Zoro asked behind him.

 

“Nah, I’m fine.” Sanji wanted to whine and complain, but Zoro was already doing enough for him by hanging by his side the entire trip. The lounger Sanji was sitting on led through one of the many small food huts located in the park. A tall bridge went over it so that you could cross the river. It was tall and actually had stairs leading up to it so that you couldn’t hit your head on it if you weren’t paying attention. As they passed through, Sanji witnessed Usopp handing Chopper a bag of mini donuts as they walked over to a spot in the café where Nami was sitting. Nami seemed to notice the three floating around in the river and smiled, waving at Sanji and sipping at a fruity drink. Her smile seemed to disappear however when she noticed Luffy.

 

“OI! YOU LITTLE SHIT! DID YOU STEAL THAT FROM THE RIVER RIDE?!” Nami scolded Luffy, who immediately yelped and started kicking his feet furiously to get out of the hut as fast as possible. Luffy stuck his fingers in his ears and squinted his eyes shut.

 

“I CAN’T HEAR YOU NAMI! SORRY! IF I CAN’T HEAR YOU, YOU CAN’T GET PISSED!” Luffy’s logic was flawless as always. There was a sudden splash and Luffy’s inner tube flipped upside down, the culprit for the action being Nami’s foot, which was still floating just above the water. Luffy spluttered and flailed around for a moment, but Nami didn’t seem the least bit worried. Sanji suddenly felt the lounger jerk and looked at his feet to see Luffy clawing at the plastic and pulling himself up, gasping for air and scowling at Nami. Sanji crossed his arms and stared at the raven haired boy.

 

“Sanji! She took my floater, let me use yours!” Luffy whined and Sanji rolled his eyes.

 

“Luffy-ya! I’m lending him that for medical reasons, he has no other way of being in the water safely unless somebody were to hold him. So no, you can’t take his lounger.” Law sternly scolded Luffy, who frowned and continued to hold onto the lounger as if he’d drown without it, which he just might.

 

Sanji suddenly felt a warm hand wrap around his upper arm and drag him into the water. Sanji yelped as he fell out of his lounger and felt two, strong arms wrap around his upper torso, just under his armpits. Sanji instinctively wrapped his arms around the neck of the person in front of him to keep his hands out of the water and nearly jumped when he felt gnarled flesh pressing against his skin, but it was actually comforting because that just solidified who he was sure had to be the one that grabbed him.

 

“Z-Zoro?!” Sanji spluttered as he pulled his head back to look at his now boyfriends face. Zoro was blushing furiously and refused to look Sanji directly in the eyes.

 

“You looked like you’d prefer to actually feel the water so… so I thought we could do this.” Zoro’s voice was a little tight and he looked like he was already beginning to regret his decision. Sanji’s cheeks coloured and his heart leaped in his chest as he felt Zoro moving against him. Sanji sighed and tightened his hold on Zoro so that the moron didn’t get any ideas about letting Sanji go so that he could sink to the bottom. Zoro gave Sanji a nervous smile and gave the blond a nearly bone-crushing hug before loosening his grip and swimming around the river. Sanji turned to see that Luffy was watching them as they turned a corner, his fingers still gripping onto the rubbery seat.

 

“TORAO! Sanji isn’t using it anymore! Can I- WAH?!” Luffy turned to the hot tub as he called for Law, butchering his last name to shit as he did so. But Law wasn’t there anymore, in fact, he was on the god damn pool lounger that Luffy had _just_ been trying to smuggle! _How the fuck did he- WHEN the fuck did he- It’s like he teleported!_ Law was sprawled across his pool lounger, a smug grin plastered across his face and his arms crossed behind his head. The worst part was that he had somehow gotten his tattooed hands on a pair of sunglasses and they were just making him look all that smugger.

 

Sanji suddenly felt a soft, wet pressure against his forehead and looked up to see Zoro’s lips pressed against him. Zoro pulled away after a moment and Sanji growled.

 

“You bastard, don’t go doing that without me knowing! I’m not some girl!” Sanji pouted and Zoro laughed, leaning back until he was just floating on top of the water. Sanji slipped into the river and wrapped his arms over Zoro’s stomach, using the strength in his arms rather than his hands to keep himself up. _Well, it’s a little less intimate, but it’s still nice._ Sanji blushed as his arms ran over the tightly packed muscles on Zoro’s stomach. Sanji didn’t know much about what men found attractive in other men, but if it was anything like what women found attractive, then Sanji was _definitely_ a lucky man. You know, besides the green hair, pissy attitude, lack of manners, and absolute nonexistent sense of direction. Come to think of it, there was a lot of shit about Zoro that pissed Sanji off.

 

The two floated for a good ten minutes before Sanji started to get restless. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy the somewhat calming float, he was just a restless kind of guy. Zoro must have felt how uncomfortable Sanji was getting because once they got close enough to the stairs, Zoro reached up and grabbed Sanji’s arms, dragging him out of the water and onto the steps. Sanji sat down on the top step and leaned back on his arms, kicking his legs in the water a few times.

 

“Where to next curly?” Zoro asked and Sanji shrugged. He honestly didn’t know what to do, not like they had many options with his hands- “We could go on one of the slides?” Zoro offered, interrupting Sanji’s train of thought.

 

“Ha! No we can’t. The pool at the bottom of most of them are too deep, and it’s been made obvious that I can’t swim right now.” Sanji looked around and saw a few slides that were different from the normal ones. The ones with special names that got advertised on the TV and, unlike most of the shit they advertise on TV, were actually just as fun as the announcer said. Slides like “The Black Hole”, “Fear Valley”, “Master Blaster”, or “The Cyclone” were especially popular ones. Sanji stared up at the clear, blue sky and hummed. There wasn’t a single damn cloud, perfect day to go to the waterpark. Perfect, that is, except for the fact that he’s fucked himself over burning his haaa- and Zoro’s grabbing him again.

 

“Wh-what are you doing now dumbass?!” Sanji gasped as Zoro grabbed his arms and yanked him towards… the exit?

 

“Taking you to a slide obviously.” Zoro stated and Sanji skidded them to a halt by dragging his feet on the tile. Zoro turned around, giving Sanji an annoyed expression. Sanji pointed towards the direction Zoro had been dragging him in until Zoro finally spotted the exit sign. Zoro flushed and looked around as if trying to find a _slide_ in a fucking _waterpark_. Sanji couldn’t believe it, how could somebody get that damn lost?! Slides were literally _everywhere_ and Zoro just couldn’t seem to find one. Sanji was literally seconds away from laughing his ass off but he just couldn’t, not when Zoro was trying so hard to be “boyfriend of the year” right now.

 

Sanji yanked on his arm gently, pulling Zoro in the direction of a large grouping of slides, that way Zoro could pick which one to take Sanji on. They ended up at one of the three different rapids rides, which Sanji couldn’t really complain too much about, especially since he wouldn’t actually be landing in the water himself, it would his inner tube that does all the swimming for him. Zoro scooped up a two separate rafts for them and looped his arm through the holes, carrying them up the tall hill that led to the top of the slide. The ride’s line was actually much shorter than he expected and as they walked by, Sanji could see multiple people giggling wildly as their inner tubes battered around the rock walls. Sanji caught a flash of red and pink and knew right away it was Bonney and Kidd. Bonney was tugging at Kidd’s swim goggles, yanking him backwards slightly on the ride and Kidd was pulling at Bonney’s suit, which looked small enough to fit her even if she shrunk.

 

“CHEATING SHITHEAD! WE AGREED WE WOULDN’T KICK OFF THE WALLS!” Bonney screamed as she shoved at Kidd’s shoulders.

 

“LIKE HELL I AGREED TO THAT! YOU’RE JUST PISSED ‘CAUSE YOU’RE LOSING!” Kidd argued back and tugged at Bonney’s hair. Bonney screamed in frustration and kicked wildly, landing a hit or two just underneath Kidd’s ribs.

 

“OI! TREAT A LADY WITH RESPECT YOU SHITHEAD!” Sanji shouted over the rock wall as they passed and Kidd turned around to sneer at the blond. Kidd flipped Sanji the bird as he rode down the river. He must not have been paying attention though because he yelped like a kicked dog when he smacked his left arm against a piece of metal sticking out of the ride. _Ouch, Law’s gonna have his ass for that one._ A lifeguard blew his whistle and rushed down only for Kidd to raise his uninjured arm and wave him away.

 

“DON’T YOU DARE END THIS RACE! I’M FUCKING WINNING AND IT’S GOING TO STAY THAT WAY!” Kidd howled. The lifeguard gave him an unimpressed look and turned to everybody else in line, warning them that racing down the rapids was now forbidden as it risked injuries to the students or something like that. Sanji was only half-listening as he was a little busy staring at his half-naked boyfriend that was standing in front of him. Sanji followed a drop of water with his eyes as it slowly trailed down the center of Zoro’s back, disappearing underneath the rim of his swim trunks. Zoro suddenly turned around, a smug grin plastered on his face. Sanji blushed, praying that he wasn’t caught checking Zoro out.

 

“So, are we gonna race or what?” Zoro challenged and Sanji felt a feral grin spread across his features.

 

“You’re on Marimo.”


	21. Summer Job

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys, I am SOOOO SORRY this has taken so long, but here you go! I love you guys so much but you know that already and I am working my butt off to try and get more of these chapters ready for you. X0X0

Zoro grinned smugly as he stood in the line-up for the ‘Grand Canyon’ water ride.

 

“Quit looking like you just won the lottery jackass! You beat me in a stupid race, that’s it!” Sanji growled behind him and Zoro laughed, stepping forward as the line moved. Zoro did not give one, single shit how pissed Sanji was right now. In fact, that made his victory all the sweeter.

 

“You’re just lucky we weren’t placing bets curly!” Zoro laughed and felt a somewhat forceful kick to the back of his knees and he buckled slightly. Zoro turned around and glared at the blond, who was glaring right back. “I _will_ fight you.” Zoro growled, pointing a still dripping wet finger at Sanji’s face.

 

“No, you won’t.” Sanji smirked and Zoro heard the line moving ahead of him. Zoro followed the line until he reached the front, pulling Sanji with him by wrapping one of his arms around Sanji’s. Sanji grumbled irritably, but the slight blush on his cheeks gave him away, so Zoro didn’t let go even after they’d stopped walking.

 

The ride was another raft ride, but it wasn’t like the rapids they had previously been on. There wasn’t any fake rocks and pretty foliage to make you look like you had entered a jungle. It was just a long, large, metal tube. Half tube, there was no top. The raft fit about six people comfortably so a lot of groups got stuck together. It wasn’t an inner tube either, it was a huge, thin-bottomed raft that you actually sat on as you went through the ride. The raft went up high on the sides so that it almost flipped over at some points. It was supposed to be one of the more intense rides in the park.

 

“Do we have any groups of two?!” The lifeguard shouted as he helped a group of four onto the raft. Zoro put his hand up with two of his fingers raised and the lifeguard called them over.

 

“OI! Zoro! Sanji! Didn’t know you guys were going on here, you could have told us!” Usopp’s voice sounded from the raft and Zoro laughed as he climbed into the raft to see Nami, Chopper, and Luffy were also sitting cross-legged on the rubbery surface. “We could have all gone together, guess we’re just lucky that we got paired up!” Usopp laughed.

 

“Can Sanji really be going on rides though?” Nami asked, worry laced in her voice. “I’m not saying you _can’t_ , I just would hate for you to get something in your bandages.” Sanji seemed to swoon at her voice and Zoro rolled his eyes at the sight. Even after they had started dating, Sanji still kept fawning over Nami every time they spoke. He no longer invited her to go out with him, even if the invites had been too goofy to be real in the first place. He was still overly chivalrous to women, but he had actually toned it down quite a bit. You would think it would bother Zoro the way Sanji acted around women but… not really. After what Sanji had told him just over a week ago, he was sure that Sanji’s overly chivalrous behaviour had a lot to do with his mother.

 

“Oh Nami~! I do apologize, had I known you would be on this ride I would have been at your side right away~! Move it asshat!” Sanji kicked Luffy’s shoulder to give himself room to sit down on the ride. Luffy fell to the side and landed right on Nami’s shoulder. Nami’s face coloured slightly and she looked away. Luffy was doing the exact same thing and Zoro felt a vein throb in his forehead. _If the two morons would just LOOK at each other…_ Zoro just sighed and sat down next to Sanji. Chopper and Usopp giggled like children next to them and it made the corner of Zoro’s mouth turn up into a small smile.

 

“Alright everybody, you know the rules but in case you don’t I’ll tell ya again.” Zoro turned to hear a really smooth, really… familiar voice giving instructions behind him. “Stay seated at all times, no standing and no fidgeting. No pissing in the pool, no matter how scared you are, lookin’ at you Usopp.” Usopp yelped and ripped his eyes away from Chopper to glare at the lifeguard. “Keep your hands and feet inside the raft at all times and last, no mackin’ on each other on the ride.” Zoro’s face turned bright red and he could see that Sanji was feeling the exact same, although one couldn’t be sure that comment was directed at them, it sure felt like it.

 

“Last, but not least, HAVE FUN! See ya later little bro!” Ace grinned as he moved his lifeguards cap out of his eyes with his thumb and shoved the raft away from him and towards the direction of the slide. Luffy nearly jumped right out of the raft, a smile so wide that it could split his face in half plastered across his features. Zoro laughed as he watched Luffy wave a threatening fist in Ace’s direction.

 

“YOU BASTARD! WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME YOU WORKED HEEEERRRRRRRE!” Luffy’s words dragged on as they went down a large hill on the ride and Zoro could see Ace’s smug grin from half-way down as he pulled the next raft off conveyor belt and plopped it into the small pool of water.

 

“LUFFY SIT DOWN!” Nami shouted and grabbed onto his arm, dragging him back into the raft just before they hit a large turn and everybody was jostled around. Everybody held on tightly to their handle bars so that they wouldn’t be flung off the ride, everybody except for Sanji. Zoro cursed when he saw Sanji jerk around and instinctively wrapped his arm around Sanji’s waist to keep him still. Sanji spluttered and Zoro nearly let go again, but they hit another sharp turn suddenly and Zoro had to tighten his grip to keep Sanji from sliding around.

 

The ride went by quickly, as all water rides do. Then again, when you’re having fun with all your friends, it’s hard for time _not_ to fly by. Sanji was able to keep himself mostly still using the strength in his legs so Zoro didn’t have to hold on to tightly to keep Sanji from sliding around. But… even though he didn’t have to, he still kept his arms wrapped snugly around the blonds shoulders. Sanji didn’t pull away so he guessed it was okay. When they got to the bottom of the ride, Luffy was immediately stomping back up the stairs to curse out his brother for keeping secrets. Though, Zoro guessed that Ace didn’t really think he would be running into Luffy at a waterpark with his fear of water.

 

“Usopp, Chopper, and I are gonna go down to the rental store and pick up some water guns, you guys coming with?” Nami asked, thumbing in the direction of the small shack with all sorts of different squirt guns, goggles, and pool floaties hanging from the wall. Zoro looked over at Sanji, who smiled at Nami but shook his head, scratching softly at the back of his neck.

 

“Thank you for the offer my swan, but I’ll have to pass~. Really no point in me renting a water gun anyway.” Sanji laughed as he wiggled his fingers around to emphasize his point. “Think I’ll just hang with the Marimo for a little while. I would _love_ to meet up for lunch together though~!” Sanji fawned and Nami stuck her hands on her hips, giving a slightly pouting frown.

 

“Sanji! It’s nearly impossible to separate you and Zoro nowadays, is there something you want to tell us?” Nami asked slyly. Zoro choked on his own breath when he heard the words leave her lips and looked frantically over to Sanji. Sanji looked, surprisingly calm.

 

“You always have been the most observant one in this group of Neanderthals my swan~! But, how about we talk about that over lunch in an hour?” Sanji asked sweetly and Nami raised her hands in surrender.

 

“Alright, alright. Where do we wanna go? There are about three really shitty snack shacks scattered around this place, maybe four, none of them are really that good though. There’s actually a nice outdoor bistro across the way though, it’s called the Mermaid Café. It’s pretty cheap too so that’s nice for me!” Nami smiled about the last part, giving a thumbs up and Zoro rolled his eyes. Anything to save a dollar with that girl. He’d actually seen her flirt with a waiter until he marked her meal for free on the bill.

 

“That sounds lovely~!” Sanji cooed. “So, what about Luffy?” Sanji asked.

 

“He’s fine, he’s got Ace with him. Even if Ace can be a bit of a goof sometimes, he’s also responsible when he needs to be, it’s why I trust him to give us alcohol in the first place.” Nami shaded her eyes with her hands and looked up to the top of the ride they had just come off of, as if she could see Luffy and Ace all the way from the bottom. “He always has a way of finding us, I’m sure we’ll run into him again before we’re supposed to meet up.” The group split up to go their separate directions and Zoro was silent or a moment as he and Sanji walked side by side. Sanji lead the two towards a different slide he wanted to go on and while they were walking, Zoro felt the need to ask.

 

“So… uh… Are we gonna tell ‘em?” Zoro asked, his arms crossed behind his head as they walked. Sanji looked over at Zoro, his blond hair sticking to his pale skin. His hair was tied up, all except for his bangs, which hung wetly in front of his face. Zoro swallowed thickly when Sanji looked directly into his eyes.

 

“I uh… look, I’m not ashamed about it, think I proved that last week at the stand.” Sanji said with determination and Zoro nodded in agreement. “Unless you don’t want me to tell them-“

 

“NO! I-uh, I’m glad you want to tell them, I really thought you would be more secretive about it… and I still can’t believe you cursed at that woman…” Zoro grumbled.

 

“ _That_ wasn’t a woman. _That_ was a witch who needed to learn when to keep her damn mouth shut!” Sanji cursed and Zoro’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. He’d never heard Sanji curse about a woman once, let alone twice. “Anyway… I don’t feel like there’s any reason to hide the fact that I have feelings for you. Not anymore at least…” Sanji’s face became flushed further and further into the conversation. “If anybody has a problem with our relationship then they can bitch about it when they get home to their ‘holier than thou’ families. I really don’t give a shit what they think.”

 

Zoro nodded as he listened and before he knew it, they were already in the line-up for the ‘Black Hole’. Named as such because the slide was actually a long, black tube that twisted around in loops until it reached the bottom pool.

 

“Sure you wanna go on this one?” Zoro questioned the blond and Sanji nodded. “Okay, but you’re gonna have to sit in my lap so that you don’t drown when you hit the bottom.” Sanji rolled his eyes moved up to the front of the line. Sanji leaned in to speak to the lifeguard managing the waterslide so he could explain the situation. She understood completely and even helped Sanji into Zoro’s lap when they were loading up onto the slide. She called for them to go and Zoro pushed off the edge, immediately plunging the world into darkness as they entered the tube.

 

Zoro wrapped his arms tightly around Sanji. His heartbeat quickened and he felt Sanji relax back against him. Sanji’s heated skin pressed against his chest and Zoro was eighty percent sure that Sanji could _feel_ his heart hammering against his ribcage. Sanji reached back and wrapped his arms around Zoro’s neck a little bit awkwardly and Zoro leaned forward so that his chin was resting lightly on Sanji’s shoulder. Sanji seemed to jump slightly at the intimacy but soon melted into it as they raced down the slide. Zoro turned his head when he heard Sanji whisper something too quiet for him to hear. Zoro grunted in surprise when Sanji turned his face to look directly at Zoro and pressed their lips together. Zoro closed his eyes, not like he needed to, the entire ride was black as pitch. The kiss was short, and sweet.

 

As they exited the ride, Sanji removed his arms from Zoro’s neck and Zoro’s grip on the blond tightened. They hit the water and Sanji raised his hands to keep them out of the water, laughing like a dumbass as he kicked wildly to keep himself up. Zoro laughed with him as he dragged Sanji out of the water and to the stairs. Sanji flailed around a little bit while Zoro tried to pull him up to ground level. Zoro gave him a good whap on the head for that. _Goofy bastard._

 

As they were walking to the next slide, Zoro caught site of Law, Kidd, and Bonney all hanging out in a group. They were standing in line at one of the concession stands and Law was complaining about Kidd’s choice in destination for food in that special way that Law does. His arms crossed over his tattooed chest and his hips cocked. Kidd was saying something about how Law wouldn’t be satisfied even if Kidd took him to a five-star restaurant and Bonney was just dancing in her spot waiting for the line to move.

 

“God, you are such a brute. There are children around Kidd, would you keep the swearing to a minimum?” Law groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers and Kidd threw his hands over his head and made an exasperated noise.

 

“WELL IF YOU WOULD JUST TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT FOR ONCE I WOULDN’T HAVE TO SWEAR SO FUCKING MUCH!” Kidd screamed and Bonney whirled around to glare at them.

 

“WOULD YOU BOTH QUIT BICKERING?! THEY’LL KICK US OUT AND THEN I WON’T GET TO EAT! IF I DON’T GET MY LUNCH I AM KICKING BOTH OF YOUR ASSES BACK TO THE SCHOOL!” Bonney scolded as she pushed her hair out of her face.

 

“TOORAAAAOOO!” Zoro grinned when he saw Law tackled by exactly who you would expect to be behind that voice. Luffy wrapped his wiry limbs around Law and the doctor-in-training made the closest sound to a yelp that you’ll hear from the man. Law immediately placed his hands on Luffy’s chest in an attempt to shove the boy off, but all attempts were proven futile as Luffy continued to cling the teen. Most people would think that Kidd would get jealous over seeing Luffy attached to his boyfriend like shit to a shovel, but no. You never have to look too much into it with Luffy. All the affection he gives is just as it looks, childish and purely platonic.

 

“TORAO! Are you getting lunch?! AWESOME! We should totally eat together, I’m SUPER hungry!” Luffy laughed and Zoro slapped his hand over his face. So, that meant that Nami hadn’t told him the lunch plans yet. Zoro walked over with Sanji following next to him and grabbed Luffy by the rim of his trunks, yanking him off the disgruntled teen. “ZORO! SANJI! I was wondering where you guys ran off to! Torao and I were just about to get some lunch, you should join us!” Luffy giggled.

 

“I never agreed to eat with you!” Law shouted and Kidd laughed. Nothing made Kidd happier than watching Law getting pissed off at somebody else. When it was him that Law was getting pissed at… that was a whole different story.

 

“Actually, Nami, Usopp, and Chopper are gonna meet us all at the Mermaid Café across the road in a half hour or so. Think you can wait that long?” Zoro asked and Luffy looked completely conflicted. He would be getting food, _possibly_ even free food, but he would have to wait.

 

“Hmmmmm… I’ll wait… but only if Torao is allowed to join us!” Luffy stated and nodded his head with determination. Law growled where he stood next to him.

 

“I NEVER AGREED TO THAT EITHER!” Law shouted and Luffy laughed at that. Zoro looked over unsurely to Sanji. With what the blond was planning on telling everybody over the meal, Zoro wasn’t so sure he would be comfortable with speaking in front of a larger audience. Telling four people at once was a big enough deal as it is, but telling seven? And it wasn’t like he was just admitting to being in a relationship now, he was also coming out. That’s a pretty big step to take in front of a quarter of his class.

 

“Actually… I dunno if-” Zoro began to protest but Sanji thumped him on the chest with his lower arm. Sanji looked at Zoro, nodding his head once in silent question. Zoro gave a short smile. Sanji was asking him if he was okay to announce their relationship to the others as well. Even though Zoro wasn’t exactly _thrilled_ about it, if Sanji wanted to do it… then he wouldn’t stop him. It was a step that Sanji needed to take, and it was inevitable that everybody would find out sooner or later.

 

“Sure, Law can join us if he wants.” Sanji assured the boy and Luffy whooped in response. Bonney, however, didn’t seem nearly as pleased.

 

“You mean I have to wait even _longer_ for you assholes to feed me! Bullshit!” Bonney complained and stomped away. Kidd grinned maliciously and laughed.

 

“Looks like it! Too bad, I was looking forward to watching you get even fatter-GUH!” Kidd grunted when Bonney’s fist connected with the back of his head.

 

“SAY THAT AGAIN ASSBAG! I DARE YOU!” Bonney wailed and she waved her fist threateningly near Kidd’s now possibly fractured skull. Kidd rubbed at the back of his head and turned to glare at Bonney, murder in his eyes as violently as it was in hers. Zoro heard Sanji scoff beside him and looked over.

 

“Serves you right for slandering a lady, you brute!” Sanji sneered and Kidd immediately turned on him.

 

“YOU WANNA FIGHT TOO ASSHOLE?!” Kidd threatened.

 

“I-I do apologize but if the lot of you i-insist on being so rowdy, I-I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to l-leave.” Zoro turned around to see one of the snack-shack employees standing behind him. He actually reminded him of Usopp slightly. Not in appearance, but in the way his knees were shaking and there was most certainly sweat, not water, dripping down his forehead. If Zoro had to guess, he would say that this guy’s boss told him to tell Zoro and the guys to take a hike or he would get fired. Law gave an impassive expression and nodded, whistling as you would when calling a dog and walking in a different direction.

 

“OI! GET YOU’RE ASS BACK HERE LAW!” Kidd shouted as he followed behind and Zoro had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing at the way Kidd just followed like the dog Law treated him as. Bonney ran to catch up with the two before shouting back to them.

 

“SEE YOU GUYS AT THE CAFÉ!” Bonney waved as she called back in their direction. Sanji waved back like a loon, all wiggling and everything. Luffy giggled as he waved as well and Zoro just stood there with his hands balled up in the pockets of his swim trunks. Sanji kicked at the back of Zoro’s legs and Zoro sighed, pulling one of his hands out of his pockets and giving a single, short wave.

 

“So, Luffy, how did things go with Ace?” Sanji turned to Luffy and asked. Luffy opened his mouth to begin what was most likely an excited and lengthy rant, but Zoro was already walking away. “OI! Shithead Marimo! You’re gonna get yourself lost, get back here!”

 

“MORON! Snack shack guy just told us to take a hike, so that’s what I’m doing!” Zoro shouted back and turned away from the two, knowing that they would soon catch up to him. He was right and within second, Sanji and Luffy were walking next to him towards, wherever the fuck he was going.

 

“Ace told me that he’s working here for the summer every day that he gets the chance! But he promised that we’d still go drinking every Sunday night!” Luffy laughed.

 

“Thought your brother already had a job Luffy? You said he worked at a bar or something, right?” Sanji asked as he tried to push some of his hair out of his face. He gave up at some point and Zoro was _this_ close to doing it for him, but that would just end up embarrassing the blond.

 

“Yeah, he’s a bartender! But that’s a night job, he only works here during the day!” Luffy explained.

 

“That’s not how he’s getting all our booze, right?” Zoro asked suspiciously.

 

“At the place he works he gets a small discount, only ten percent or something, on the bottles that have already been opened, that’s why we never get anything full and it’s usually six or seven different kinds.” Luffy grinned. “One time he convinced a guy into buying some _really_ nice sake so that he could bring home the rest after work. Shishishshishi!”

 

“What’s the name of the place?” Sanji asked as they entered into a random line-up. Zoro wasn’t sure which slide they were lined up for, but if the wait was this long, it had to be good. Guess they would find out when they got to the front.

 

“Shakky’s Rip-off Bar.”

 

“You sure you’re brother’s actually getting a deal then?” Sanji grumbled and Luffy laughed. The line moved and Zoro followed, feeling a little put off that they didn’t have to climb any stairs to get to the line. Maybe it was a sort of underground river ride? Zoro shrugged, he was too busy thinking about lunch to worry about it anyway. It wasn’t that he was worried the group wouldn’t be okay with the two of them together. The problem was, the two of them together is _exactly_ what everybody had been hinting at. Having to admit that everybody was right kinda pissed Zoro off. Then again… he couldn’t be sure they were right _yet_ … they’d only been dating for a little over a week- Zoro was pulled from his train of thought when Sanji tapped lightly on his shoulder, Luffy laughing like an idiot behind him.

 

“Zoro, this is the bathroom line-up.”


	22. The Announcement

Zoro sighed happily as he sat down in the coral themed chair. He and Sanji were sat next to each other at a table meant to seat around eight, Luffy sitting across from them. They were the first ones to arrive at the Mermaid Café and Zoro was more than a little surprised that Luffy hadn’t already asked for something to eat. The table was painted to look like a sandy beach with sea-stars and beautiful shells littering it, which Zoro had to say was either a fantastic or a horrible design. For one, it’s like you’re eating food off the ground. But on the other hand, you couldn’t really tell when the table was dirty. The chairs were either made to look like coral, shells, or fish scales. Nothing too complicated that would just end up looking tacky. The walls were painted different variations of blue and were covered in portholes, fake seaweed, fish, and bubbles. There was a giant, saw-nosed shark breaking through the ceiling, but the model was a little off. Instead of looking like a chainsaw, the nose looked more like a handsaw that pointed at the end. He’d heard one of the waitress’s calling it Arlong, maybe it was a running joke.

 

Oh yeah, that was another thing. All the staff were girls dressed like mermaids. They were all wearing long, thin skirts with different fish scale patterns for each girl. It looked like a light cotton that actually tied around their hips, showing off one of their legs almost up to their hips. They wore bikini tops to cover their chests and not a thing else besides some shell necklaces and pearl earrings. Their bikini tops looked like shells and Zoro guessed that they were wearing a plain bra underneath just in case anybody got any funny idea of pulling at their strings. They seemed to enjoy it though, Zoro guessed they wouldn’t be working there if they didn’t like it. Many of them had long and flowing hair that they allowed to just fall where it may. Lots of the girls also had shell strings and kelp ribbons braided into their hair to make them look a little bit more nautical. It was a lot of effort, that’s for sure. Like a maid café, only, mermaids. Actually, exactly like that.

 

They weren’t afraid to flirt either. Zoro had learned _that_ really quickly. Actually, he figured that out when he walked in the door and the hostess immediately starting trying every line in the book to pick him up. She was confident in herself that much was clear. Apparently, she’d also made it a point to make herself their personal waitress, though she should really be focusing on her hosting duties rather than checking him out. And yes, Zoro knew when he was being checked out, especially when somebody was doing it about three times a minute. Zoro had actually been really surprised that their waitress, Olivia was her name, hadn’t flirted with Sanji instead, he was the good looking one of the group anyway.

 

“So, can I get you boys anything to drink while you’re waiting for your friends?” Olivia asked, her voice almost uncomfortably sweet and Zoro really wished he could have gotten _any_ of the other girls to service their table. Maybe the one with the pink hair and long, golden skirt that looked more like chainmail than fish scales. What was the name she had given to the guys sitting at the table next to them? Rebecca? Yeah, that sounded right. She didn’t look like the flirty type, which would be really nice right now considering Olivia was practically shoving her chest in Zoro’s face as she took down the drink orders. Zoro would have done anything to be able to just push her away but Sanji would probably have a fit if Zoro laid so much as a finger on her.

 

Zoro glanced over and Sanji and frowned to himself. Either the cook didn’t see what she was doing, didn’t care what she was doing, or he was testing Zoro. There was always the rare option that Sanji just trusted Zoro not to do anything stupid and he was already comfortable enough in their relationship not to worry about somebody snatching him away. But that idea was so far out there that Zoro couldn’t even see it with a telescope. Zoro sighed and leaned forward on his elbows, the T-shirt he’d thrown on over his still damp skin sticking slightly. That was another thing that threw Zoro off slightly. Why was Olivia flirting with him when Luffy and Sanji were sitting there with only their swim trunks and sandals on, showing off most of their bodies. At least Zoro had the decency to put some clothes on, even if it was uncomfortable and made him feel like he had a bikini top on instead of a regular shirt.

 

The three ordered their drinks and waters for everybody else. Olivia nodded and wrote the orders down on her note pad before running off, swaying her hips slightly in an obvious attempt at drawing attention to her ass. It looked good in the skirt she was wearing, and Zoro could definitely see some heads turning in her direction. But his eyes didn’t linger for more than a second before he rolled his eyes and his attention was back to Sanji, who was stretching his arms over his head in order to get himself more comfortable in his seat, a drop of water from the last slide they went on cascading down his chest until t reached his trunk-line and- damn it all if Sanji didn’t look a hundred times sexier without even _trying_ than Olivia did the entire ten minutes she spent puffing out her chest and shifting skirt down every once in a while to show off her hips.

 

“So, what did you two wanna tell me?” Luffy giggled from across the table and Zoro felt his cheeks colour slightly. He’d nearly forgotten that this whole meet up was to tell everybody about Sanji and Zoro’s new relationship.

 

“Dumbass, you have to wait for everybody else to get here.” Sanji growled sarcastically and Luffy frowned, obviously upset about having to wait not only to order his food, but to hear whatever news he thought was about to come.

 

“Why can’t you just tell me now?! I’m the captain and the captain gets to make the orders! I order you to tell me!”

 

“Luffy, you can order me around all you want but you are not my captain and I am not telling you until everybody else gets here.” Sanji leaned forward on the table and pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. Zoro rolled his eyes because he was really not in the mood for _another_ “You are not an actual pirate captain” fight. He had heard that one more than enough times already.

 

“Is it about that job offer? Neh? Zoro? Are you going to come to work with me?!” Luffy Beamed and leaned over the table. Zoro felt his face heat slightly and groaned as he leaned his chin in his palm.

 

“No… it’s not about the job Luffy-“ Zoro began.

 

“ZORO! You have to decide NOW! It’s only a summer job and I don’t wanna do it alone!” Luffy whined.

 

“YOU SHOULDN’T BE DOING IT AT ALL, YOU ARE NOT NEARLY MATURE ENOUGH!” Zoro shouted back and Luffy cackled playfully. Sanji had turned to give Zoro a very inquisitive look and Zoro was now doing his best to avoid eye contact. He was _really_ hoping he could get away with _not_ telling Sanji about this job but now it just looked like that wasn’t gonna happen. Zoro sighed. “Yeah. Yeah, I’ll go to work with you-“

 

“HOORRAAAAYYYY!” Luffy interrupted again and Zoro scratched at the back of his neck, no doubt reawakening an itchy mosquito bite he’d gotten earlier. He liked summer, liked it quite a lot. Except for the fucking bugs. That’s what came with living in a more forested area though. It was a beautiful area to live in, but there was so many bugs in the summer, it drove him crazy.

 

“Marimo?” Zoro cringed as he heard Sanji’s questioning tone and turned to look into a deep, ocean blue eye. “What kind of job is it?” The corner of Sanji’s mouth tilted upwards ever so slightly in a smirk and Zoro hummed nervously, tearing his gaze away only to have it yanked back immediately by Sanji clearing his throat.

 

“It’s… it’s uh- kind of like… teaching- I guess.”

 

“Teaching? During summer?” Sanji raised his curly eyebrow and Zoro growled in irritation.

 

“Babysitting, okay?! It’s working at a daycare.” Sanji was suddenly grinning so wide that Zoro was sure his entire face had split in two. His bare shoulders shook as he chuckled and he shut his mouth tightly as he tried to hold back any louder laughter. “SHUT UP! I wasn’t gonna do it since I’m stuck working at your damn store until your hands heal but if you’re gonna laugh at me then maybe I’ll just fucking do it!”

 

“OH yeah Marimo! Go babysit a bunch of toddlers, that’ll teach me!” Sanji’s laughter burst out of him like a damn and Zoro was torn between being so pissed he wanted to clock him to being incredibly happy to be able to hear that gorgeous fucking laugh of his, even if it’s currently mocking him. Zoro settled for lightly smacking him on the back of his head, but even that didn’t stop the laughter from pouring from that stupid- beautiful fucking mouth of his.

 

“Zoro! We’re going to have so much fun together! We’ll take the kids to the park and we’ll go on train rides together and-“

 

“We’re just taking care of them dumbass, I’m sure we aren’t allowed to take them out of the building! And even if we were, there’s no way they would let _you!”_ Zoro yelled and Luffy just laughed again.

 

“Well it sounds like you all are having fun!” Zoro turned around to see Nami, Usopp, and Chopper standing behind them. Nami’s delicate fingers wrapped around the back of Zoro’s seat and Zoro frowned at her.

 

“THESE two are having the time of their lives.” Nami giggled and Sanji pulled out the seat next to him using his arm so she could sit down.

 

“Well thanks for pulling out _my_ seat oh white night!” Usopp laughed sarcastically as he pulled out Choppers for him and the two of them sat down next to each other around the table. Usopp looked around and raised an eyebrow at Zoro. “Few too many seats, don’t you think?”

 

“OH! I asked Kidd and Bonnie and Torao to join us too!” Luffy giggled. Nami looked a bit taken aback by that, although it wasn’t really a surprise for Luffy to ask extra people to come along whenever he had the chance, especially if it’s Law.

 

“I thought you had something important you wanted to tell us? Won’t that be a little weird with a bigger group? We don’t usually hang out with them.” Just then, Olivia showed up at their table with two trays of drinks and set them down, obviously giving Zoro the eyes again and Zoro had to look away because even if it was annoying, she had no idea. He would have told her to stop trying earlier but Luffy was sitting across from them and he didn’t wanna ruin the ‘surprise’.  Just as Olivia was setting the drinks, Bonney showed up, Law and the rest of his group following behind her.

 

“Luffy-ya. If you can’t say my last name just call me by my first name.” Law’s slightly condescending tone sounded and Zoro chuckled. It was always funny hearing Law get pissed at how badly Luffy messed up Law’s name. “Sanji, your hands are doing good?”

 

“Yeah, Zoro helped me to keep them out of the water.” Sanji smiled and Law nodded in acknowledgement, sitting down in the seat next to Luffy while Kidd and Bonney took the remaining seats. Luffy turned to Zoro and gave him slightly apologetic look. Seems like the kid realized that he slightly overstepped but Zoro couldn’t say he minded too much. After all, who were Law and Kidd to judge? Zoro smiled back, causing Luffy to grin in return.

 

“Yo, thanks for inviting us to lunch! The food places in the park were so shitty I could barely keep it down.” Bonney laughed as she rung her hair out over the floor. Zoro saw Olivia cringe, knowing she was probably gonna be the one that would have to mop that up. Her frown immediately flew away when she saw Zoro looking at him and she twirled her hair on her finger as she handed out the drinks.

 

“Well then, I’ll give you folks a minute with the menus and I’ll be back soon to get all your orders.” Olivia gave Zoro one last look before flipping her hair over her shoulder and walking away. There was a lot of joking and laughter as the group decided on what they would get for lunch. They decided on getting a series of large platters and ordering some side plates so they could all share. They got a platter of sushi, lettuce rolls, a different variety of hot wings, a few bowls of bread, and the biggest order of nachos they had on the menu, with all the fixings. Everybody agreed to throw in fifteen bucks to pay for lunch and when Olivia came around, Sanji rattles off the entire order. As soon Sanji finishes ordering the different kinds of wing sauces, the rest of the group orders their drinks since they’d only gotten waters to start.

 

Zoro completely forgot about how awkward he had felt having to tell seven different people about his relationship with a guy he was supposed to hate. Watching Law and Kidd interact with each other was calming in a way, despite how hostile they were towards each other. Well, Kidd was hostile. Law just seemed like he was fed up constantly, even though that wasn’t true, you could see with the way he smiled to himself every once in a while.

 

The food came and Luffy was the first to dig in. Zoro knew that whole act at the beginning of the meal had been just that. There was no way Luffy could go so long without having some sort of food shoved in his mouth. Everybody loaded their plates up with something from each tray, Luffy grabbing multiples from each plate.

 

“So, Sanji,” Usopp spoke through a mouth full of chicken wing. “What is it you wanted to tell us?” Zoro was in the middle of sticking a California roll in his mouth when Usopp asked and he paused. Next to him, Sanji blinked before setting down his lettuce wrap and taking a drink of water. Everybody at the table was suddenly looking at them and Zoro pretty much felt like the entire restaurant had their eyes on the two of them, even though the group was really only looking at Sanji.

 

Zoro nearly jumped when he felt a soft, bandaged hand wrap around his own on top of his leg. Zoro looked over at Sanji, who was smiling at him gently and Zoro smiled back. Zoro squeezed Sanji’s hand and looked back to the group, who’d all placed their food down, except Luffy and Bonney, who were still stuffing their faces. Sanji cleared his throat and turned to their friends.

 

“So… shit, this is harder than I thought it was gonna be…” Sanji started to speak and everybody suddenly looked a little nervous. Zoro’s face was beginning to heat up again and his grip on Sanji’s hand tightened. “I didn’t know there would be so many people here when I told you guys this but I guess I can’t be _too_ upset since I am blessed with the presence of this lovely young woman.” Sanji gestured towards Bonney, who grinned through a mouthful of pizza- _WHERE ON EARTH DID SHE GET THAT?!_

 

“Sanji and I are dating!” Zoro announced before his nerves could get the best of him. He knew if Sanji had dragged it out for even a minute, he would throw up. He wasn’t nervous at all that the group would judge them for their relationship, just the taunting. Zoro had his eyes squeezed shut tight, so he was surprised when he suddenly heard Law of all people speak first.

 

”Finally.” The doctor in training sighed as he put his head in his hand. Zoro’s eyes popped open and, for some reason, he suddenly felt aggravated at the comment.

 

“What do you mean by that?!” Zoro growled through gritted teeth and red cheeks.

 

“I _mean_ there’s been sexual tension between the two of you since you met and anybody that couldn’t see it is damn blind.” Kidd suddenly smacked Law in the back of the head hard enough for him to come close to slamming into his plate of food. “What was that for you Brute?!”

 

“Dumbass! And you call me the insensitive one!” Kidd growled back. “You remember how hard this was on us when we came out?” Law rolled his eyes as Kidd bitched at him.

 

“I’m not making fun of them Eustass-ya, I’m merely pointing out the obvious.” Kidd smacked him again and Law yelped at that one, gripping Kidd by the front of his shirt and staring at him like a damn demon. There was a thump and Bonney was suddenly standing behind them, a chicken bone sticking out of her mouth as she wiped off her fists on the towel wrapped around her hips.

 

“Both of you are being rude bastards and are gonna get us kicked out of the damn restaurant!” With that she sat back down and rolled herself up another lettuce wrap. Zoro turned to look at Sanji, whose face had turned as red as a beat. Sanji was chewing on his bottom lip and Zoro was worried for a moment that he was about to get pissed, but then Luffy spoke up.

 

“If you guys are dating now, does that mean you’re going to stop fighting?!” Luffy’s voice sounded disappointed. Usopp scoffed.

 

“They couldn’t stop fighting if you offered them a million dollars.” Nami was the one to hit Usopp for that one, she held out her hand after and motioned for the long nosed boy to hand her something as she cleared her throat. Usopp groaned and pulled his wallet out, slapping a stack of cash in her hand, meanwhile, Chopper bounced happily in his seat.

 

“I’m so happy for you guys! Have you two kissed yet?!” Zoro saw Sanji’s face flush another shade darker, Zoro was about to answer when Sanji spoke.

 

“Y-y-yes Chopper…” Usopp whined loudly as he pulled out another bill from his wallet and handed it to Nami, who was now grinning like the cheshire cat. “What?! No I told you so?” Sanji questioned with gritted teeth and he looked around at the smiling faces.

 

“I think they’re all too happy for us to rub it in our faces right now.” Zoro said through a grin as he took a sip of his drink. Sanji used his free hand to cover his eyes in embarrassment and lean onto the table. Zoro chuckled and leaned over, planting a kiss on the cook’s cheek. Sanji’s ears tinted red and Zoro heard Nami and Bonney give a wolf whistle. Zoro grinned and leaned back in his seat.

 

The rest of the meal went amazing. The food and drinks were fantastic and everybody laughed as they told stories about their ventures in the water park. Nobody even brought up the confession. It was a little odd since he had really expected everybody to make a huge deal about it.

 

At the end of the meal, Olivia came around and everybody stuck their bills in a huge pile. Zoro handed her the stack and apologized for the large amount of fives they were using to pay for the meal. She winked at him and told him that she didn’t mind a bit, even though he could hear her silently cursing on her way back to register. She came back with the change, which was about seven dollars or so. Zoro told her to keep it. He knew he probably should have tipped her more but it’s not like he was made of money, so seven would have to suffice.

 

Everybody was getting up and leaving when Olivia leaned over the table and wrote her number on the bill, handing it to Zoro and smiling sweetly. Zoro smiled back and handed her the piece of paper.

 

“Thanks, but I don’t need the bill.” Olivia frowned and flipped it over, making the digits scrawled on the back more obvious. “And-uh… I’m taken.” Olivia’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor when Zoro wrapped his arm around Sanji’s waist and dragged him into a soft kiss. The large group of friends whooped and hollered at them as they walked out the door.

 

“You could have told me from the beginning!” Olivia laughed and stuck her hands on her hips. Zoro pulled away from Sanji and smiled sheepishly, looking over at his group of friends.

 

“Didn’t want to ruin the announcement…” He muttered, scratching the back of his neck and irritating his bug bite all over again. Olivia nodded and patted Sanji on the back, leaning in and whispering something in his ear. Sanji flushed and nodded vigorously, grabbing Zoro by the hand and dragging him outside. Zoro tried to protest as Sanji dragged him behind the restaurant and shoved Zoro against the brick wall.

 

“Wha-!” Sanji was suddenly covering Zoro’s mouth with his own and Zoro’s eyes fluttered shut as he kissed back. Zoro wrapped his arms around Sanji’s bare back and held him as close as possible, opening his mouth just slightly to deepen the kiss. Sanji slipped his tongue between Zoro’s lips immediately and licked at his teeth before thrusting his tongue in deep. Zoro felt his whole body shiver and a small groan tore from the back of his throat as he let Sanji explore his mouth for what felt like hours but was probably only a minute, then Sanji pulled away.

 

“Wha-what… was that?” Zoro asked as he wiped some spit from the corner of his mouth. Sanji stared at him, panting from kiss swollen lips and blinking at him with wild, gorgeously blue eyes.

 

“Olivia just reminded me how damn lucky I am to be with somebody as hot as you.” Zoro’s entire body suddenly felt like it was on fire. It felt awkward hearing that from other people but for some reason, when Sanji said it, his entire body just buzzed with energy and a sort of… want.

 

“Ah… come on, let’s catch up with the others.” Zoro laughed through a smile that wasn’t the least bit forced. Sanji grinned back and they walked back to the park, thick fingers entwined with delicately bandaged appendages.


	23. A Date?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M A TERRIBLE PERSON AND I HAVE NO EXCUSE. With the last few chapters i was writing my head just kinda... stopped working right I guess. My confidence in my writing plummeted and I just kept thinking "they hate it they hate it! if it just disappeared they wouldn't even care!" so i stopped posting chapters and I'm really sorry... so here you go I guess... I know it's a bajillion years late.

Sanji sighed as he stared out the window of the bus. Today had been an extremely testing day for him. He’d sat quietly in a restaurant as he watched a gorgeous woman flirt with his boyfriend, let himself be manhandled in and out of the water since his hands were still all fucked up, and announced to a huge group of people that, not only was he gay or bisexual or ­ _whatever_ he was, but also that he had and Zoro were seeing each other.

 

He’d even thanked Zoro while they were in the damn Black Hole ride. He hadn’t said it much, if _at all,_ in the past and he knew Zoro probably hadn’t heard what he’d whispered over the intense rush of water through the slide.

 

Then there was the kiss after the restaurant. After what Olivia had brought to his attention, it would be impossible for _anybody_ to keep their hands off.

 

_-“Your boyfriend is real hot you know, make sure he knows how lucky you feel or I might snatch him up.”-_

 

As soon as the words left her mouth, Sanji had all but _dragged_ Zoro to the back of the restaurant and tongue fucked him. Sanji shivered at the memory of invading Zoro’s mouth with his tongue, licking at the roof of his mouth, his teeth, his gums, everything he could reach. Sanji remembered the way Zoro’s lips glistened with saliva when he finally pulled away.

 

And that sound… that restrained groan that had ripped itself from Zoro’s throat when Sanji had brushed over Zoro’s tongue-

 

“Oi!” Sanji jolted in surprise when he felt Zoro’s hand on his thigh and his low baritone voice rang through his ears. “You okay? You look spaced out, are your hands sore?” Zoro asked in worry. Sanji blinked in a dazed confusion.

 

“Asshole, I’m fine. Just thinking…” Sanji answered through a slight blush. _How long have we been going out again, a few weeks? Is it too early to think about… that?_ Sanji felt his face heat. _Definitely too early._

 

“Cook, you’d tell me if the chlorine got into your wounds-“

 

“Yes _mother_!” Sanji drawled in a sarcastic voice but immediately regretted it as that familiar twinge of despair he gets whenever he thought about his mom struck him like a shockwave. Sanji visibly flinched and turned back to the window, hoping that Zoro wouldn’t notice, or at least wouldn’t say anything. Unfortunately, it was a long bus ride home, and it would be pretty much impossible to expect it to go by silently.

 

“So… I was thinking… we’re pretty much done with school now, we just have our tests left…” Zoro suddenly seemed really nervous as he spoke. “And you’re hands are healing well… So maybe we could, I dunno, go on a… date?” Before Sanji even knew he was doing it, he was nodding intensely, his face flushed a deep crimson as his mind wandered this way and that.

 

Zoro smiled widely at him and wrapped his arm around Sanji’s shoulders, dragging him into a sort of hug. Sanji expected him to let go after the initial squeeze, but was pleasantly surprised when he didn’t, continuing to hold on and smiling like he won the lottery. Sanji gently placed his bandaged hand on Zoro’s knee and squeezed as tightly as his injuries would allow him to. Zoro leaned his head to the side to slightly and his soft, green hair tickled Sanji’s jaw.

 

“When do you… want to go on this… date?” Sanji asked as he stared at the top of Zoro’s head.

 

“Well, I guess whenever we have free time.”

 

“Free time? I own a business that’s six days a week, you’re going to be playing mommy and daddy with Luffy during the summer-“ Zoro whacked him on the back of the head at the mention of his daycare job. “You’ve also got your training at the dojo every Tuesday and Thursday. Then we have the group to hang out with every Sunday. When are we gonna have ti-“ Sanji was suddenly caught off by Zoro’s lips covering his own and a strong grip wrapped around his jaw. Sanji’s eyes fluttered shut after a moment, before Zoro pulled away.

 

“I’ll make time.” Zoro said, his voice soft and almost pleading. Sanji _really_ hoped that Zoro would continue to be this sweet with him, even after his hands had healed. What he’d expected when he and Zoro had agreed to go out was non-stop fighting and hostility, just like they had always been. Of course, it was still there. But the tender moments that Zoro always seemed to gift him with out of nowhere continued to sweep him off his feet. Olivia really had no idea just how lucky Sanji was.

 

Sanji nodded weakly at Zoro’s statement and Zoro smiled at him again before leaning against his shoulder. Within seconds, Zoro was snoring and Sanji laughed quietly to himself.

 

Sanji spent the rest of the ride thinking of ideas as to when they could actually see each other. Sanji wouldn’t be opening the stand for breakfast so they could always go out for breakfast together, or Sanji could invite him over and make him something. Then again, the daycare probably opened pretty early in the morning for parents leaving for work. Sanji frowned as he continued to think. Maybe Zoro could visit after work at the stand? But that would be really late at night and he’d either have to go home really soon after or stay the night.

 

Those thoughts coupled with the feeling of Zoro leaning against him and a strong arm wrapped around his shoulders caused him to shiver. Zoro was still asleep so he thankfully didn’t feel the tremor that had run through Sanji’s body. Sanji sighed and kissed the top of Zoro’s head, happy that the man was too busy sleeping to actually notice that he’d done it. It reminded him of when they were in the whirlpool and Zoro had kissed Sanji’s head as he held him out of the water. Maybe Zoro hadn’t realized he’d done it, but he’d been acting all lovey dovey in front of the group without even realizing it, and the two hadn’t even agreed to tell everybody at that time. Zoro had been so lucky that nobody had seen and had been too busy fighting with each other to notice the kiss, that, and how red Sanji had gone when Zoro had wrapped his arms around his waist.

 

Then there was Ace. It was like the guy already knew that they’d started dating! Sure, everybody else teased them about it, but Sanji had seen the look Ace had given him under the rim of his life guard’s cap. Ace had looked at him like he knew some damn secret and it had been one of the reasons Sanji decided to tell everybody. The two of them were hardly masters at keeping their relationship a secret and if Ace already _knew_ then there was no point in hiding at all anymore.

 

 _Then the restaurant, and the announcement… and then that kiss…_ Sanji shook his head as his mind wandered again to the absolutely bone melting kiss that Sanji had dragged Zoro into. Sanji bit his lower lip and squeezed a little harder on Zoro’s knee. Zoro opened his eyes and looked back up at Sanji. Sanji nonchalantly stuck his tongue out at Zoro and turned back to the window. _Just stop thinking dumbass!_

 

When they reached the school, Sanji entwined his fingers with Zoro’s and began walking back home. He’d have to take a shower and change into his regular clothes before heading over to the stand for work, and so would Zoro. Sanji’s hands had healed enough to be picking up light things and feeding himself again, but he still wasn’t allowed to cook yet. Not until the bandages came off.

 

Sanji sighed when they finally reached his house and he invited Zoro inside.

 

“You’ve got a change of clothes for the stand in your backpack, right?” Sanji asked as he sat down on the couch.

 

“Yeah, I can change in your bathroom and then we can be out of here in a few minutes.” Sanji frowned when he heard the Mosshead say that and closed his eyes as he leaned his head back on the cushions.

 

“You should really take a shower first, you’re hair and skin will be covered in chemicals from the water.”

 

“What about you? I don’t see you hopping in the shower.”

 

“Because I don’t have to do any cooking right now. Besides, I was gonna take one after you, dumbass.” The room was absolutely silent for a moment right after Sanji said that, before he felt breath against the shell of his ear.

 

“Do you want to shower _with_ me?” was whispered huskily into his ear and Sanji shivered. “Because if that kiss today was anything to go by, I think you do.” Sanji felt Zoro’s hand on his shoulder, it slowly trailed over to his neck and down his collar bone. Zoro kissed Sanji’s jaw and Sanji whined. Sanji felt a smirk creep across Zoro’s face where his lips were still connected with the flesh of his jaw. Then, Zoro was gone and Sanji was left sitting and stunned.

 

Sanji opened his eyes to see that Zoro hadn’t left, but had just repositioned himself to be right in front of him. Zoro had his hands gripping the couch on either side of Sanji’s head and was leaning so close into Sanji’s personal space that he could feel Zoro’s breath against his lips. Sanji heard Zoro swallow thickly, most likely out of… nervousness? And then Zoro was kissing him.

 

Sanji sighed as Zoro turned his head to deepen the kiss before licking at his lower lip. Sanji immediately allowed his boyfriend entrance and groaned when Zoro’s tongue dragged against the roof of his mouth and _fuck! That felt good!_ Sanji felt one of Zoro’s hands grip onto his knee tightly and Zoro’s thumb massaged his leg in slow circles. Sanji felt his cheeks flushing as Zoro continued to slowly work him up until, suddenly, he wasn’t sitting on the couch anymore.

 

“Jesus Christ-!” Sanji yelped when Zoro wrapped Sanji’s legs around his waist and hoisted him up by his ass, giving a short squeeze. Sanji held onto Zoro as tightly as he could and the teen laughed, hugging him to his body and burying his nose in soft, golden hair. Zoro carried Sanji to the bathroom and sat him down on the counter before trailing his hands underneath Sanji’s shirt. Sanji’s skin burned at every point that Zoro was touching and he leaned in to capture Zoro’s lips in another kiss. Sanji grabbed onto the collar of Zoro’s shirt and made a move to drag it over his head, disconnecting their lips for only a moment before diving back in, pleased with Zoro’s newly exposed skin.

 

Then Zoro stopped.

 

“Marimo?” Sanji asked, concern laced through his words. He hadn’t done anything wrong. Had he? Zoro was looking down at something on the counter and Sanji cringed when he realized that he’d forgotten to put away his medication. Sanji sighed when Zoro picked one up and shook it in front of him. Sanji took it out of his hands. “This is for sleep. That’s all, it’s- it’s nothing big.” Sanji picked up the other one and showed the label to Zoro. “And this one is for… anxiety.”

 

To Sanji’s surprise, Zoro wrapped Sanji up in a bone-melting hug and took in a deep breath.

 

“For a second I thought you might be dying or something…” Zoro murmured quietly, almost more to himself than to Sanji. Sanji cringed again, he hadn’t meant to worry the Mosshead. Sanji hugged Zoro back as tightly as he could and turned to kiss his temple.

 

“I take the sleep medication because I have nightmares about my dad sometimes… and I take the anxiety medication because I sometimes remember what happened with my mother and have to have something on hand that reminds me I’m not… I’m not stuck in that room anymore.” Sanji’s voice trembled a little bit as he said that. It rarely happened anymore, but it used to be that even seeing a mother and child walking down the street together could set him off and leave him a quivering pile of frayed nerves.

 

Zoro let out a shaky breath and released his hold on Sanji, leaning back and gripping onto the edge of the sink. He trailed strong, calloused fingers through Sanji’s bangs and moved them out of his face, revealing two eyes as blue as the ocean Sanji had named his stand after.

 

“Well aren’t you being such a sweet kitty right now Marimo.” Sanji teased and Zoro smiled. “You’re being so tame right now I wonder if I could make you purr.” Zoro laughed at that one.

 

“Funny, cause that’s what I was just about to do to you…” Zoro smirked as he leaned into Sanji again, stripping the blond of his own shirt so that they were both naked from the waist up. Sanji laughed and Zoro started to kiss his chest, trailing soft lips over every inch of revealed skin. Zoro ran his hands over Sanji’s shoulders, down his arms, and grabbed onto his hands. Sanji closed his eyes as Zoro guided his hands to his scarred chest.

 

“Sometimes, when I’m stressed out or when I’m feeling like shit, I’m reminded of how I got this…” Zoro whispered as he pressed his forehead to Sanji’s shoulder. Sanji ran his fingers over the marred flesh and felt the shiver that ran through Zoro’s body at the contact. Sanji suddenly felt Zoro’s fingers running along the waistband of his swim trunks and he almost jumped in shock. Sanji ran his hands over Zoro’s chest and Zoro grunted in response, pulling Sanji’s body closer to himself.

 

“Come on Marimo, purr for me.” Sanji continued to tease and Zoro growled. Sanji laughed again and Zoro ground his hips against Sanji’s, dragging a surprised gasp from him.

 

“That good enough, cook?” Zoro whispered as he sucked on the point of Sanji’s jaw just below his ear. Sanji groaned in approval and used his feet to push at Zoro’s own trousers. Zoro smirked against his skin and trailed up to his mouth, capturing the blonds lips in a searing kiss. Sanji panted into the kiss as his fingers tightened on bronzed flesh and he ran his toes up Zoro’s sides. Zoro flinched away and grumbled something that sounded kind of like, ‘Cut that out’. So of course he did it again.

 

“Damnit Cook-!” Was that laughter in his voice? Oh shit, the Mosshead was most definitely ticklish. Sanji did it again. “Asshole! I swear to god, if you don’t cut that- aha! Ha ha- COOK!” Sanji started to laugh in return as he heard Zoro struggle against the onslaught. Zoro grabbed Sanji’s feet and held them away from his sides as he panted. “I swear I’ll kick your ass you little shit!” Sanji laughed almost maniacally at the way Zoro was threatening him, completely red-faced as his chest heaved. Sanji lunged forward and tickled Zoro’s sides with the tips of his fingers.

 

Zoro yelped and dropped Sanji’s ankles in favour of grabbing onto his wrists. Sanji hyperventilating he was laughing so hard by this point, tears blurring his vision. Zoro wrapped Sanji’s arms around his neck and dragged the blonds body flush with his own. Zoro grabbed onto Sanji’s thighs to keep him from moving his legs in another attempt at tickling him. Sanji hugged Zoro tightly and kissed up and down his throat, feeling his thundering heartrate through his pulse.

 

 _I actually love this guy… don’t I?_ Sanji thought to himself as he trailed feather-light kisses along Zoro’s throat and jaw.

 

“You know… we should really be getting ready to open up the stand…” Sanji murmured against Zoro’s neck and Zoro groaned. “Zoro, you know we can’t afford to skip any days of work. You’ve seen the finances.” Zoro nodded slowly.

 

“I know… but I would really rather just stand here… with you.” Zoro pouted against Sanji’s shoulder and Sanji’s heartrate sped up.

 

“No, you’d rather not have to do any work. You would also rather go to sleep, cause you’re a lazy asshole.” Sanji scolded and Zoro laughed again, this time, not from being tickled.

 

“Yeah, but I’d also rather not be tickled while I’m trying to be lazy…” Sanji rolled his eyes.

 

“Maybe if you do a good job at work… we can, uh… finish what we started to here…” Sanji mumbled the last part almost inaudibly, scratching at the back of his neck as his face flushed a deep shade of red. Sanji heard Zoro gasp slightly against his skin and pull in a sort of shuddering breath.

 

Zoro pulled away from the hug he’d practically buried himself in and grabbed Sanji’s jaw with one of his hands, forcing him into a deep, almost threateningly harsh kiss. Sanji responded in earnest, turning his head to deepen the kiss further. Sanji gasped as Zoro licked at his teeth and tongue, pulling away with a string of saliva connecting the two.

 

“That a promise?” Zoro asked, his voice husky and low. Sanji nodded, his eyes lidded and face practically tingling with the amount of blood rushing to his cheeks.

 

“Get in the shower, you have work to do.” Sanji said as he lightly thumped Zoro’s back. Zoro groaned and squeezed Sanji’s thighs before letting go of him completely and turning to the shower, allowing the water a moment to heat up and shooing Sanji out of the bathroom.

 

After the two had finished getting ready, Sanji packed up his laptop and paperwork and locked up the apartment. Sanji had taken to doing his counting up all his stock and doing his finance work for the stand while Zoro worked, since he didn’t really have much else to do. He no longer had to keep his eyes on Zoro constantly, worrying if he was cooking right and serving it properly and blah blah blah.

 

Business had slowed down a little bit since he’d told off that one customer. It was barely noticeable at first, but there weren’t as many company men and women visiting anymore. Of course she’d gone blabbing to all her co-workers how she’d been treated. And of course she would have coincidentally forgotten to mention that she had acted completely out of line to start it off.

 

Oh well. Once summer time hit, there would be more students with more free time who would be coming to pick business back up. They would spread the word and Sanji wouldn’t have to worry about impressing some snob who thought she was better than everybody else. Sanji was never one to turn down somebody who was hungry. Then again, he was also never one to treat a lady as he had. Exceptions had to be made every so often.

 

When they arrived at the stand, Sanji spread out all his paperwork at the seat that was no declared his at the end of the bar. Sanji spent the night clacking away at his keyboard as Zoro worked. He got all the finance work finished by the time the first hour was over and spent the rest of his time pissing off his boyfriend.

 

 _Fuck, we aren’t going too fast, are we?_ Thoughts flittered across Sanji’s mind and he cringed. They had known each other for over a half year now, it’s not like they barely knew each other… but taking the next step to- to sex. What if Zoro didn’t want to yet..? Bullshit, of course Zoro wanted to, he’d practically devoured him in the bathroom. Sanji was actually a little curious as to where all the confidence came from considering how timid Zoro had been in the whole sexual part of the relationship.

 

They wouldn’t be jumping right into it anyway. Would they? Most people would start off with hand jobs or something… not full on sex. Sanji was beginning to feel like his brain was cooking inside his head it was being overworked so much.

 

“Cook? Stand is closed, ready to go?” Zoro asked and Sanji was so lost inside of his own mind that he didn’t even hear it, until Zoro repeated himself. “COOK?!” Sanji startled and whipped around in his seat to look at Zoro.

 

“Oh, yeah, let’s go Mossy.”


	24. Release

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a bit short but it's finally done so here you go! Once again I'm sorry but inspiration doesn't just come to me as easily as it used to though writing smut really shouldn't need THAT much inspiration ANYWAY here you go!

“So…”

 

“So..?”

 

“So… what do we… do?” Sanji asked, his face flushing pink as he scratched at the back of his head.

 

“I uh… I don’t really know. It seemed to be happening a lot… easier, when it just kinda happened.” Zoro mumbled as he stared down at his feet, which were now a lot closer due to the position he was sitting in, cross legged on Sanji’s bed.

 

“Wonderful wording Oh-GREAT poet Roronoa.” Sanji bit sarcastically. Sanji sat opposite Zoro on the bed in the same fashion and was wiggling his toes around on the soft sheets. The lights had already been turned off, leaving only moonlight to seep in through the blinds and brighten the room. _Mood lighting I suppose…_

 

“SHUT UP! It just-“

 

“Happened?” Sanji laughed as Zoro blushed and grit his teeth in frustration. “I don’t know what we do shithead! It’s not like we’re in some dumb, romantic comedy! There’s no rose petals or cinnamon-scented candles or cheesy porn music in the background, it’s… it’s just sex.” Sanji frowned a little as he lay his chin in his palm gently.

 

“Do you want candles..? We keep some in the bathroom at home.” Zoro offered and Sanji snorted. _How romantic._ “I don’t know either I just… don’t wanna fuck it up or do something wrong or… I don’t know.” There was silence between the two for a moment as the two tried to figure out where it was they were supposed to go from there.

 

“How about we start by just… kissing..?” Sanji asked tentatively and chewed at his lower lip, wishing he had a cigarette so he could smoke until he wasn’t so freaked out anymore.

 

“Okay, then come here.” Sanji looked up to see Zoro’s arms stretched out towards him. Zoro’s face and the tips of his ears were tinged a deep scarlet and his eyes were locked onto Sanji’s as he pressed his lips together in a tight line.

 

“You seemed a helluva lot more confident about this in the bathroom before work…” Sanji smirked as he crawled forward and climbed into Zoro’s lap while Zoro wrapped his arms around his boyfriend. Sanji laid his arms over Zoro’s shoulders and let his fingers tangle in short, green hair, dragging a pleased sigh from his lips.

 

“I didn’t have _time_ to overthink this in the bathroom before work shithead…” Sanji continued to gently run his hands over Zoro’s scalp and Zoro slowly let his eyes fall shut, shivering when Sanji’s hands traveled downwards and along the back of his neck. Sanji ducked down and pressed his lips to Zoro’s as his hands continued to wander over Zoro’s back.

 

Zoro continued to kiss Sanji slowly, carefully. Sanji laughed against Zoro’s mouth at the absolute awkwardness and dragged his tongue over Zoro’s lips. Zoro groaned and kissed Sanji back earnestly in return, opening his mouth and allowing the blond access to explore.

 

Zoro’s hands roamed over Sanji’s sides almost teasingly slow. Sanji’s breath hitched as Zoro sucked on his lower lip, digging his teeth into the soft flesh and dragging a short moan from Sanji’s mouth. Sanji could feel his blood pulsing hotter and faster through his veins as Zoro’s hands finally reached his hips and began to pull at his shirt. Zoro pulled Sanji’s shirt over his head and threw it off to the side where it landed on Sanji’s dresser. Sanji’s picture of him and the old man disappeared underneath the cloth and Sanji sort of smirked.

 

Sanji moaned when Zoro’s hands gripped at his bare ribs and his teeth dug into his shoulder. Zoro ran his hands across Sanji’s chest and down his abdomen, setting fire to every inch of skin they crossed. Sanji could _feel_ his heart practically pounding out of his chest as his pulse raced and his vision blurred. _Wait a… this doesn’t feel like-_ Sanji suddenly felt the air practically punch out of his lungs.

 

 _Oh, fuck fuck fuck! Not now… not now!_ Sanji could feel a panic attack edging its way in and he pulled away from Zoro. _FUCK, What IS it?! It’s not like I feel fucking trapped, I was the one that initiated this!_ Sanji’s panic-ridden thoughts drowned everything else. The situation he was putting himself in was nothing like what happened back at the house so why-

 

Sanji gasped when he was pulled into a strong embrace, naked skin pressed against a clothed chest. Thick arms wrapped tightly around him and Sanji felt Zoro’s hand land on the back of his head, pushing him to rest on Zoro’s shoulder. Sanji felt his breath coming even faster and he shut his eyes tight. A light kiss was placed on the side of his head and Sanji felt his whole body respond faintly to the gesture.

 

“I-If I’m doing this wrong just tell me, okay? I don’t know how to… deal with this…” Zoro murmured next to Sanji’s ear. Sanji bit down on his lip as he sucked in a deep breath through his nose. Sanji wrapped himself tightly around Zoro’s body, his fingers yanking at weak fabric of Zoro’s shirt. Zoro continued to trail gentle kisses along the side of Sanji’s head as the blond’s breathing slowly edged its way back down.

 

Sanji held on to Zoro for dear life as the muscles in his hands seized up and he breathed deeply. Zoro rubbed Sanji’s back in gentle circles, his hand barely even making contact but just sort of… tickling. They just… sat there for a while. It felt like hours that the two of them just sat there. Sanji sighed as the panicked feeling started to slowly ebb away.

 

“We can stop, I don’t give a shit if you’re not ready or whatever, we can just… stop, okay?” Zoro reassured but Sanji shook his head.

 

“N-no… Fuck I just… I’m sorry you had to fucking see me like this.” Sanji sort of whimpered.

 

“No, no, no, no, no. Don’t you apologize, okay? Fuck, just… don’t worry about it.” Zoro cooed and rocked back and forth slowly. Sanji nodded and cuddled up to Zoro, holding onto him like a drowning man.

 

Sanji pulled himself out of the hug and smiled at Zoro faintly, leaning in and pressing their noses together gently. Zoro chuckeld and ran his hands through Sanji’s hair softly.

 

“Are you… okay now?” Zoro questioned and Sanji nodded as he leaned in to press his lips against Zoro’s. Sanji felt Zoro smiling and cocked his head to deepen the kiss. Sanji grabs Zoro’s shoulders and lets his hands travel downwards slowly, his fingers trailing over Zoro’s chest and down to his stomach.

 

“Cook…” Zoro growled, voice low and husky. Sanji’s hands twitched instinctively and he gasped as Zoro’s hands went to his belt. Zoro moaned into Sanji’s mouth and the sound sent all his blood rushing south. Sanji shoved himself forward, forcing Zoro to fall back onto the bed with Sanji sprawled on top of him. Sanji’s elbows dug into the pillows underneath Zoro’s head, his hands returning to Zoro’s soft, green hair.

 

Sanji pulled off of Zoro’s mouth and trailed down Zoro’s jaw with gentle kisses until he reached his collar bone. Sanji nipped and sucked at Zoro’s skin, causing his boyfriend to groan softly. Sanji felt his shorts shift and looked down to see that Zoro had finally managed his belt off, pulling it out through the loops and dropping it to the floor. Sanji hadn’t realized just how _tight_ his pants had become until they had been loosened and now he wanted nothing more than for the damn things to be _off_.

 

Speaking of off, Zoro was still wearing way too much.

 

Sanji pushed himself down the bed until his head was level with Zoro’s stomach. Sanji leaned down and grabbed onto the edge of Zoro’s shirt with his teeth, pulling it up slowly as Zoro shuddered and arched his back, allowing Sanji to pull his shirt up further. Once Sanji reached his chest, Zoro took over and removed it the rest of the way, letting his arms fall onto the pillows above his head and sighing deeply.

 

Sanji pulled himself back up to eye level with Zoro and kissed the tip of his nose, causing Zoro to chuckle. Zoro wrapped his arms around Sanji and pulled him close, rolling the two of them over and pinning Sanji to the bed. Sanji gasped when Zoro licked his way into his mouth and chewed at his lower lip.

 

Sanji groaned as he arched his back to feel Zoro’s body pressed against his own, Zoro gasped in return and pushed Sanji’s legs open as he ground down against him.

 

“Oh fUCK-!” Sanji moaned as Zoro kissed him absolutely breathless, sucking on his tongue and traveling along his jawline down to his collarbone. Sanji reached between the two of them and undid the buttons on Zoro’s pants, pulling down the waistline until it was passed his ass. Sanji pulled in a shaky breath as he pressed his palm against the hot bulge straining against Zoro’s underwear. Zoro’s entire body shook as his grip on Sanji’s hips tightened and he moaned against the blonds shoulder. Sanji’s grip tightened and Zoro rocked his hips forward greedily.

 

Fuck, was that a weird feeling. Of course Sanji had touched himself before, so he knew what it felt like to have a dick in his hand but… this was very different. Sanji couldn’t feel what Zoro was feeling so the only way he could he could tell if he was doing something right is if Zoro… told him so.

 

Zoro pulled himself off of Sanji, leaving the blond suddenly feeling… open, and freaking the blond out a bit. Fuck, had he already done something wrong?

 

“Oi… what are you- did I-?”

 

“I’m gonna take your pants off now.” Zoro announced, his voice shaking slightly and his face tinging scarlet. Sanji shut his gaping mouth and swallowed before he felt a snicker force it’s way past his lips. Sanji clapped his hand over his mouth as laughter bubbled up in his chest. Zoro squinted at the blond.

 

“I-I’m sorry… you just look so damn serious.” Sanji spoke through his giggles. “ ‘ _I’m gonna take your pants off now_.’ ” Sanji burst out laughing. Zoro frowned and Sanji wrapped his arms around his stomach as he continued to laugh even harder. “Oh come… come on! Don’t look so upset, do you need me to tickle you aga- GAH!” Sanji gasped when Zoro dragged his pants down his legs and yanked them off along with his underwear. Sanji was about reach his hands down to hide his nakedness when he felt Zoro’s hand wrap around his cock and give a strong pump. Sanji moaned, mouth falling agape and hips twitching forward in an attempt to gain more friction. Sanji slammed his hands down on the bed, digging his fingers into the sheets as every nerve in his body set on fire. Zoro reached down with his free hand to grab hold of Sanji’s, tangling their fingers together and dragging Sanji’s hand over his head.

 

Sanji moaned when he felt Zoro’s lips against his own again. Zoro licked his way into Sanji’s mouth, snaking past his teeth and dragging across the roof of his mouth.

 

“Uhnn… w-wait, hah! Y-you too… dumbass! Fuck- Zoro!” Sanji gasped out between moans and Zoro immediately slowed his hand down. Sanji sighed when Zoro removed his hand from his cock and his eyes slowly fluttered open to see Zoro’s eyes scrunched closed in pleasure. Zoro’s teeth dug into his lower lip and he was red all the way down to his collar bone.

 

“Ohh… fuck.” Zoro moaned as he reached down and grabbed onto his still clothed erection. Zoro dragged his thumb along the hard bulge and Sanji practically drooled at the sight. “Do that again…” Zoro groaned, eyes locked onto Sanji’s.

 

“Huh..? What do you-?”

 

“My name. Say… my name again.” Zoro growled. Sanji shuddered and wrapped his legs around Zoro’s waist, reaching down with his free hand to drag Zoro’s boxers down until his hard cock sprang free. Sanji gripped the both of them in one hand.

 

“Zoro…” Sanji moaned into Zoro’s ear and his boyfriend shuddered violently, moaning wetly into Sanji’s chest. Zoro’s cock throbbed in Sanji’s grasp and the blond gave the both of them a hard pump. Zoro punched his hips forward and Sanji winced as his palms throbbed with dull pain. “M-maybe you should… do this. My ha-hands aren’t healed enough for something like… this.”

 

“Oh shit, right.” Zoro gently pushed Sanji’s hand out of the way and began pumping the both of them in Sanji’s place. Sanji moaned as he wrapped his arm around Zoro’s neck, dragging him into a hungry kiss.

 

“I-I’m… hah, not gonna last long…” Sanji groaned.

 

“Me either… oh FUCK! Sanji!” Zoro cried out when he reached his climax, hot cum painting Sanji’s abdomen and chest.

 

“Oh _GOD_ , YES!” Sanji practically screamed as he came. Zoro milked both of them through the orgasm as Sanji thrust his hips forward rhythmically. Sanji slowed down soon and whimpered at the overstimulation. Zoro pulled his hand away and tuned it over to stare at the mess in his palm. He balled it up into a fist, digging his elbows into the pillows behind Sanji’s head. Zoro panted heavily as he slumped against the blond.

 

Sanji groaned as all the energy in his body just melted away. Every part of him felt as heavy as lead. The two laid there for a while, silently, until Zoro spoke up. More like a mumble really.

 

“So… what do we do now…?”

 

“In our relationship or… at this very second? Cause I don’t know about you but I think I need to take a shower.” Sanji answered and Zoro laughed.

 

“Yeah, I think I need one too…” Zoro chuckled and closed his eyes. Sanji lay still with Zoro on top of him until he heard a loud snore. Sanji felt a vein in his head throb.

 

“OI! Don’t fall asleep on top of me bastard!” Sanji shouted and shoved Zoro gently. Zoro groaned and buried his face in Sanji’s neck.

 

“Shhh… It’s sleep time…” Zoro hushed the blond and Sanji attempted to kick the green haired teen, only to realize his legs were pinned down.

 

“Not sleep, shower!” Sanji argued and Zoro groaned again. “I literally just told you to take a shower dumbass! You want this shit to dry and stick?! It’ll be disgusting! Now get up and shower shit for brains!” Sanji shouted and Zoro shook his head. Sanji sighed. “Do you need me to join you?”

 

Zoro went red all the way down to his chest and nodded. Sanji laughed and shoved Zoro again.

 

“Okay, then get up, I’ll follow you in.” Zoro nodded again and rolled off of Sanji. He turned away and did up his pants, looking back at Sanji quickly before exiting the room. Sanji heard the shower turn on and threw on a house coat. He headed to the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

 

“Oi! You tricked me!” Zoro shouted and Sanji laughed as he leaned against the door.

 

“YUP! Now take a damn shower! See if you can get all the moss off!” Sanji laughed. He heard a disappointed groan on the other side of the door but after a minute he decided that Zoro wasn’t going to try to bust the door down and drag him in, so he got up and started looking for a smoke.


End file.
